Mehul Choksi found in Dominica after 3 days, in custody of Criminal Investigation Dept

In a breaking development, fugitive Antigua-based former diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who had been absconding since Sunday, is reportedly in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Dominica, as per The Observer. Mehul Choksi purportedly went "missing" after going out for dinner in Antigua island on May 23 and could not be traced even though his vehicle was traced in the Jolly Harbour later. As per The Observer, Mehul Choksi has been traced to his current location in Dominica three days after he went missing, where was nabbed by law enforcement personnel following the yellow notice alert that was issued for the fugitive. As per the Antigua newsroom, the police in Dominica are making arrangements to hand him over to the Antigua police.

#LIVE We got info an hour ago that Mehul Choksi who is wanted in Antigua & Barbuda, and India, was arrested in Dominica last night, in the countryside. The regional islands have been on the lookout after the Yellow Notice: Shermain Bique, Antigua Observer https://t.co/RZHKU3wOei pic.twitter.com/nm9OQ9FvXg

— Republic (@republic)

Earlier on Tuesday, a police officer from Johnson Point police station (the precinct near where Choksi has a home) told Republic TV on Tuesday that a missing complaint had been filed by his family. Speaking exclusively to Republic TV's Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy, an officer from the Johnson Point Police Station said that the statement of Mehul Choksi's wife had been recorded after she lodged the missing persons complaint and that there were no details of whether the fugitive diamond merchant had fled to Cuba. Noting that precise information about Mehul Choksi was still unknown to the Police, the Antiguan cop told Republic that his car was spotted in the Jolly Harbour area at a distance from his residence. Speaking to Republic TV, Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne had also assured that all efforts were being made to locate Choksi and that he would be extradited once all his appeals ran out.

Mehul Choksi faces the prospect of extradition

Mehul Choksi is under the scanner of both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he allegedly siphoned off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking. Owner of the Gitanjali group, a retail jewellery company, Choksi secured the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017 under the aegis of the Citizenship by Investment Programme and fled to the island nation in the first week of January 2018.

India formally sought Choksi's extradition in August 2018 underlining the principle of reciprocity, the principle of dual criminality, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption to which both countries are signatories. In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda PM Gaston Browne said that Mehul Choksi will be revoked and will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted. The current legal status of the fugitive diamantaire is shrouded in mystery as Aggarwal has stressed that the PNB scam accused remains a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda.