Mehul Choksi had taken the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 (File).
New Delhi:
Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, needed in a Rs 13,500 crore mortgage fraud in Punjab Nationwide Financial institution, has gone lacking in Antigua and Barbuda the place he has been staying since January 2018, his lawyer and the Royal Police Drive of the Caribbean island nation stated.
The nation’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has stated he has “no dependable data until date” that Mr Choksi has fled the nation and it was very doubtless that he was nonetheless in Antigua and Barbuda.
In an announcement to the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda, Mr Browne stated authorities had been “collaborating” with the Indian authorities, neighbouring international locations and worldwide police organisation to try to find Mr Choksi.
“Somebody from his family indicated that he’s lacking. Since then, Royal Police Drive of Antigua and Barbuda put out an announcement to that impact. That assertion will likely be shared with the Interpol,” he stated.
Mr Browne stated Mr Choksi has two instances in opposition to him in courts of Antigua and Barbuda — extradition and revocation of citizenship — for which he has introduced in a celebrated lawyer from the UK to symbolize him and this confirmed his willingness to remain and contest the instances.
“I don’t imagine that regulation enforcement or anybody would have contemplated Mr Choksi would have fled the nation. In any case we shouldn’t have any dependable data to this point that he has fled the nation. It’s doubtless he could also be nonetheless right here and regulation enforcement is utilising all of the efforts together with all intelligence to try to find Mr Choksi,” he stated.
Prime Minister Browne additionally downplayed “hypothesis” that Mr Choksi had fled to Cuba as no plane with a flight plan having him as passenger has left the nation, leaving the one possibility of travelling by boat. It’s “unlikely” that he had reached Cuba in 36 hours by boat, he stated.
“Regulation enforcement persevering with to collaborate with regional and worldwide police so he’s situated simply in case he has absconded. I preserve Mr Speaker that we shouldn’t have any dependable data to this point that he has absconded,” Mr Browne stated in his assertion to the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda.
The businessman was final seen on Sunday in his automotive. Police recovered the automobile after a search however Mr Choksi couldn’t be discovered, an announcement from the Antiguan police stated on Monday night time India time.
His lawyer Vijay Aggarwal confirmed that Mr Choksi has been lacking since Sunday.
“Police in Antigua have began search operations for him. The household is frightened about his security. We’re maintaining a watch on developments,” Mr Aggarwal informed PTI on Tuesday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing allegations in opposition to Mr Choksi, is verifying the stories by means of “formal and casual” channels, together with the Interpol that has issued a crimson nook discover in opposition to him on a request from the company, officers right here stated.
The assertion from the Antiguan police, which launched a lacking particular person operation on Sunday, carries {a photograph} of the businessman and seeks data from the general public.
“The police are investigating a Lacking Particular person Report product of 62-year-old Mehul Choksi of Jolly Harbour. Mehul was reported lacking on Sunday twenty third Might 2021 on the Johnson Level Police Station,” it stated.
Antiguanewsroom, an area media outlet, quoted Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney as saying that the police is “following up on the whereabouts of Indian businessman Mehul Choksi”, who’s “rumoured” to be lacking.
The media stories stated Mr Choksi, who had taken citizenship of the island nation, was seen driving within the southern space of the island on Sunday.
Mr Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are needed for allegedly siphoning Rs 13,500 crore of public cash from the state-run Punjab Nationwide Financial institution (PNB) utilizing letters of endeavor.
Whereas Mr Modi is in a London jail after being repeatedly denied bail and is contesting his extradition to India, Mr Choksi took citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 utilizing the Citizenship by Funding programme earlier than fleeing India within the first week of January 2018. The rip-off got here to gentle subsequently.
Each are dealing with a CBI probe.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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