New Delhi, India, April 14, 2025 – Belgian law enforcement authorities, acting on a request from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), have detained fugitive Indian businessman Mehul Choksi, sources confirmed. The arrest occurred in Belgium on Saturday following verification of Choksi’s presence in the country. Preparations for his extradition to India are reportedly underway.
Choksi, however, is gearing up for a legal defense. His counsel intends to seek bail and challenge the extradition, citing his medical condition among other grounds. The 65-year-old diamond merchant, who fled India on January 2, 2018, is accused by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) of orchestrating a Rs 13,850 crore fraud against Punjab National Bank (PNB), alongside his nephew, Nirav Modi.
Choksi, who acquired Antiguan citizenship in 2017, left India for the United States before settling in Antigua. In 2021, he was arrested in Dominica amid allegations of attempting to flee to Cuba, though his legal team claimed he was abducted from Antigua. Despite India’s extradition efforts, Dominica returned him to Antigua. Choksi later traveled to Belgium, reportedly for cancer treatment.
Between 2014 and 2017, Choksi, in collusion with associates and PNB officials, allegedly secured fraudulent Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit, causing a Rs 6,097.63 crore loss to PNB. The ED’s investigation led to searches at over 136 locations across India, resulting in the seizure of valuables and jewelry worth Rs 597.75 crore linked to Choksi’s Gitanjali Group. Additionally, assets totaling Rs 1,968.15 crore, including properties, vehicles, bank accounts, shares, and jewelry, were attached. In total, assets worth Rs 2,565.90 crore have been seized or attached, with three prosecution complaints filed.
Two weeks prior to his arrest, Choksi and his wife, Preeti Choksi, a Belgian citizen with family ties in the country, obtained an F Residency Card in Belgium. The couple relocated from Antigua to Belgium in 2024. Meanwhile, Nirav Modi, arrested in London in May 2019, remains incarcerated in the UK despite exhausting his legal options against extradition.
Reports indicate Choksi is receiving treatment for blood cancer in Antwerp, Belgium. Notably, Interpol withdrew its Red Notice against him in March 2023. His legal team has informed a Mumbai special court of his ongoing medical care as part of their defense strategy.
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