Choksi goes missing in Antigua

CBI verifying reports

The CBI, which is probing allegations against Choksi, is verifying the reports through “formal and informal” channels, including the Interpol that has issued a red corner notice against him

New Delhi, May 25

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, wanted in the Rs 13,500-crore PNB loan fraud, has gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since January 2018, his lawyer and the Royal Police Force of the Caribbean island nation said.

The businessman was last seen on Sunday in his car. The police recovered the vehicle after a search, but Choksi could not be found, a statement by the Antiguan police said on Monday night India time.

His lawyer Vijay Aggarwal confirmed that Choksi had been missing since Sunday. “Police in Antigua have started search for him. The family is worried about his safety. We are keeping a watch on developments,” Aggarwal said today.

The statement from the Antiguan police, which launched a missing person operation on Sunday, carries a photograph of the businessman and seeks information from the public.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted for allegedly siphoning Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) using letters of undertaking.

While Modi is in a London prison after being repeatedly denied bail and is contesting his extradition to India, Choksi acquired citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 using the Citizenship by Investment programme before fleeing India in the first week of January 2018. The scam came to light subsequently.

Both are facing a CBI probe. — PTI