Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has requested Antiguan government to prevent fugitive jeweller, Mehul Choksi from leaving the country. MEA's request to the Antiguan authorities has also been communicated verbally and in writing.
India has been in constant touch with the Caribbean nation following reports of Choksi's presence and had also requested the authorities to restrict his movements there.
"As soon as MEA received info of likely presence of Mehul Choksi in Antigua, Indian envoy alerted the local govt, in writing and verbally, to confirm his presence in their territory and detain him and prevent his movement by land, air or sea," the ministry said in a statement.
The Indian High Commissioner in Antigua is scheduled to meet the local government authorities on July 30, on the directions of MEA. The MEA has also been communicating with relevant Indian agencies and the government of Antigua & Barbuda to follow up on this matter.
Although there is no bilateral extradition treaty between two countries, the Antiguan authorities had hinted to honour India's request to send back Choksi.
In order to get a visa-free entry to 132 countries across the world, Choski has reportedly applied for Antiguan citizenship in November 2017. He took the oath of citizenship on January 15, 2018, months before the scam was unearthed. His passport was soon revoked in February as he is wanted by Indian agencies.
Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are under the scanner of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after their alleged involvement in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud in which more than ₹ 13,400 crores were duped with the involvement of the bank's employee.
The Mumbai branch of the PNB, which was at the centre of the scam, was forced to shut down amid mounting losses. The accounts were shifted to other branches for better monitoring.
To keep a check on the future fugitives, the Centre had recently amended the Economic Offenders Bill during the monsoon session of the Parliament.
