India urges Antigua to take Mehul Choksi into custody

New Delhi: The Indian government has asked the authorities in Antigua to detain PNB scam fugitive Mehul Choksi and “prevent his movement by land, air or sea” after it got information about his presence in the Caribbean island, government sources said Monday.

The sources said the Indian high commission in nearby Georgetown (Guyana) had alerted the Antigua and Barbuda (A&B) government “after the MEA got information about the likely presence of Mehul Choksi in Antigua”, asking it to confirm his presence in their territory.

Choksi’s passport was revoked in February this year after he was wanted for an offence relating to money-laundering. Last week, Choksi reportedly said he had taken Antiguan citizenship last year to expand his business as the Caribbean nation’s passport provides visa-free travel to 132 countries.

“Our high commissioner is meeting the relevant authorities in the A&B government today. We continue to liaise with the relevant Indian government agencies and the Antigua and Barbuda government to follow up on this matter,” the sources added.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are being probed by the ED and CBI for allegedly cheating Punjab National Bank of over Rs 13,400 crores.