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Mehul Chinubhai Choksi (born 5 May 1959) is an Indian-born fugitive[1] and businessman living in Antigua and Barbuda,[2] who is wanted by the Indian judicial authorities for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty including delivery of property, corruption and money laundering. [3]
Mehul Choksi Patel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mehul Chinubhai Choksi 5 May 1959 Bombay, India |
| Nationality | Indian (1959–2017) |
| Citizenship | Antigua and Barbuda (2017–) |
| Education | G. D. Modi College |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Alleged bank fraud, wanted by Indian Judicial Authorities, Owner of Gitanjali Group |
| Criminal charges |
|
| Criminal status | Found and arrested in Dominica |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Nirav Modi (nephew) |
Choksi along with his nephew Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi, brother Neeshal Modi are named in the Rs12,636 crore fraud at Punjab National Bank.[4] In order to escape India after scam, he secured the citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda, a Caribbean Island through their Citizenship by Investment Program in 2017.[5]
He has been avoided Indian justice for several years and Interpol also issued Red Corner Notice against him.[6] He is the owner of Gitanjali Group, a retail jewellery company with 4,000 stores in India.[7]
An arrest warrant for Choksi has been issued in connection with the alleged Punjab National Bank fraud case.[8] He was allegedly involved in stock market manipulation in 2013.[9] In late May 2021, he went missing from Antigua and Barbuda. Choksi claims that he was kidnapped from Antigua by agents of the Indian state,[10] while several reports and investigation revealed that he fled the country to escape legal proceedings in India.[11] After being found and arrested in Dominica under charges of illegal entry he was then returned to Antigua and Barbuda on interim bail for medical treatment. Investigations into his disappearance are ongoing. [12]
According to NDTV,[13] Choksi tried hard to spread his kidnapping narrative and evade the extradition to India. In this attempt, he also brought a string of officials in Antigua to extend the court proceedings in his disappearance case in the country.[14] He also bribed Antiguan official Adonis Henry to manipulate with the evidence as NDTV suggested that the reports disclosed that Choksi and Henry met at least three times a day at Al Porto, a Jolly Harbour restaurant reportedly owned by Choksi. [15]
In addition to that, he also tried to influence Antiguan magistrate Conliffe Clarke through illegal payments, aiming to exaggerate his kidnapping case.[16] According to NDTV,[17] several facts have also been uncovered that Clarke and Henry conspired together to influence Interpol and interfere into its proceedings to delay his extradition to India.[18]
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Mehul Choksi was born on 5 May 1959 in Bombay,[19] the son of Chinubhai Choksi.[20] He was educated at G. D. Modi College in Palanpur, Gujarat.[20] He has three children, a son and two daughters.[19] Choksi is the maternal uncle of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi.[21][22]
His younger brother Chetan Chinubhai Choksi owned and operated a diamond company named Diminco NV, based in Antwerp, which had defaulted on a US$25.8 million payment to a subsidiary of ICICI Bank.[23] In 2013, the bank litigated a lawsuit against Diminco NV, in commercial courts in Belgium and UK.[24]
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Choksi started his career in the gem and jewellery sector in 1975, and took over the leadership of Gitanjali Gems from his father in 1985, when it was focused on just rough and polished diamonds.[20] He owns Gitanjali Group, which includes Gitanjali Gems.[25]
In March 2018, a special PMLA court issued non-bailable arrest warrants (NBWs) against Choksi, and his nephews Nirav Modi and Neeshal Deepak Modi, owner of Firestar Diamonds.[26] They are suspected of colluding with two employees of Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country's second-largest state-owned lender, in an alleged $1.8 billion fraud.[25] At least six PNB staff and at least six employees of Choksi and Modi have been arrested so far.[25] Choksi is a fugitive of Indian government. On 6 March 2018, the CBI detained Vipul Chitalia, the vice-president of Gitanjali Group of Companies and a key aide of Choksi. Chitalia was arrested at Mumbai airport and remained in custody till March 2018.[27] A designated PMLA authority held that 41 properties worth about Rs 1,210 crore, attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the name of Mehul Choksi and his associated firms, are money laundering assets and ordered that their attachment should continue. The central probe agency provisionally attached 15 flats and 17 office premises in Mumbai, a mall in Kolkata, a four-acre farm house in Alibaug and 231 acres of land at locations like Nashik, Nagpur, Panvel in Maharashtra and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, in February 2018 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the about US$2 billion alleged fraud at a Mumbai-based branch of the Punjab National Bank (PNB).[28]
On 7 January 2018, Choksi left India to the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. A few days later, the PNB scam was disclosed. On 15 January, he took the oath of citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda, where he applied for the citizenship in November 2017 under the country's Citizenship by Investment program.[29] However, Indian authorities argue that he has not renounced his Indian citizenship.[30][31][32] On 17 June, his lawyer informed the Bombay High Court that he left India for medical check-up and not to avoid prosecution in the case.[33] Ever since, CBI has been trying to extradite him back to India.[34] In December 2018, Interpol published a Red Notice against Choksi at India's request.[35]
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In April 2021,[36] Choksi made the decision to leave Antigua and Barbuda,[37] where he had been residing after fleeing India following the billion-dollar PNB scam.[38] The decision to leave Antigua was made by Choksi to orchestrate a staged kidnapping.[39]
Choksi who was facing extradition to India in connection with a high-profile banking fraud case,[36] contacted two Jamaican nationals,[40] Paul Stephen Emanuel and Leonard Anthony Cole,[41] for assistance in traveling to Cuba a country which does not have an extradition treaty with India.[42]
Choksi orchestrated the planning of his own kidnapping to fool authorities in India.[43] He reportedly paid the Jamaican transporters to transport him to Cuba through a boat where he could lay low and delay his extradition to India.[44]
Moreover,[45] the fugitive also lured an innocent tourist from Hungary named Barbara Jarabik in Antigua into his plan while portraying himself as Raj in front of her and gifting her an expensive diamond necklace.[46] This was to retrieve her details as well as travel plans and use her as a backup plan in case of any issues with his travel to Cuba. [47]
Choksi also asked innocent Jarabik to rent a villa with a jetty attached to it in North Finger,[48] Jolly Harbour,[49] claiming that he would take her on the ferry across Jolly Harbour in Antigua.[50]
While Choksi was scheduled to depart Antigua for Cuba on May 24, 2024, things did not go as expected.[51] As soon as he got to know that Barbara has preponed her travel to Dominica for May 23, 2021, he also did the same. [52]
He immediately informed Emmanuel that the date of departure needs to move up a date to May 23, 2021, and with this shift in plans,[53] the transporter was tasked with rushing to Antigua and picking up Choksi on a ferry.[54]
Notably,[55] when Barbara left the rented villa,[56] Choksi saw her keeping the key under the doormat following which he used the same key to hid himself inside the villa for the night and also asked his driver to park his car in front of the house the following day to create confusion among police authorities.[57]
As soon as he entered the property,[58] he carefully turned off all the lights inside the house to ensure that no one suspected anything.[59] However,[60] due to the darkness inside the house,[61] he fell from the stairs and fell,[62] following which he sustained several injuries on his face and body,[63] including a cut on his finger.[64]
It is reported that while the Antigua and Barbuda police officials were searching for him in the vicinity of the rented house,[65] he was sleeping inside peacefully,[66] waiting for the morning to escape from there. [67]
The Republic World has made it clear that the morning of May 24 was when the actual staged kidnapping began.[68] At 6 am, Emmanuel and Cole arrived at North Finger to pick up Choksi.[69] He boarded the dinghy and seemed very nervous as he had bruises on the face to which Emmanuel asked is everything right but without giving any proper answer,[70] he got inside the ferry with a hope that is carefully crafted plan would work. [71]
However,[72] things soon began to unravel as Choksi received a suspicious call on his satellite phone when they four hours into their journey to Cuba,[73] cautioning him about danger in Cuba.[74] This led him to ask his transporters to change the destination to Dominica.[75]
While Choksi was making his way to Dominica,[76] the situation in Antigua and Barbuda got worse as his family reported him missing,[77] leading the police officials conducting searches across the island. Strangely, Choksi's car,[78] which had been parked near the house,[79] was discovered by the officials the very next day in the same spot,[12] despite being thoroughly search just hours earlier.[80]
The discovery of this car was a significant clue in the overall investigation in Antigua and Barbuda as it seemed to corroborate the claims being made by Choksi regarding him being kidnapped. [81]
The police in Antigua and Barbuda were still confused as they could not find any sign of Choksi but the sudden reappearance of the car only added to their confusion.[82] The disappearance of the fugitive seemed ‘staged’ and likely orchestrated by his associates or even his own family in order to create a narrative of abduction. [83]
It was further reported that as the boat carrying Choksi reach Dominica,[84] the situation took another twist as Choksi handed over his satellite phone and suitcase to Emmanuel and asked him to make an anonymous call to police,[85] reporting a suspicious person on the beach at Toucari Bay.[86]
Soon after the report was made,[87] the local authorities arrived and arrested Choksi,[88] who claimed that he was forcibly brought to Dominica against his will and in a statement to police,[89] he also insisted that he was a victim of kidnapping. [90]
As the arrest was made in Dominica,[91] the police quickly confirmed his identity through their records which revealed that Choksi had a Red Corner Notice out against him by the Indian lawmakers.[92] The arrest sent shockwaves in Caribbean and India alike,[93] pushing forward the process of his extradition to India. [94]
Despite his arrest,[95] Choksi was not ready to give up yet and he started leveraging his alleged kidnapping story in order to delay his extradition further.[96] His brother also arrived in Dominica to discuss how they could manipulate the investigation. [97]
Reportedly,[98] the timing of Choksi's disappearance was problematic for the kidnapping narrative as the actual boat left Antigua much earlier than the reported kidnapping time, but,[99] the brother still hoped to stretch out the investigation and create enough confusion among officials to buy more time. [100]
In the middle of the chaos,[101] Choksi's brother reportedly offered substantial bribes to political figures in Dominica as well as Antigua to help him with his case.[102] He also met the opposition leader of Dominica,[103] Lennox Linton and promised him election funding in exchange for assistance.[103] He also reportedly bribed the investigating officer in Antigua,[104] Adonis Henry to manipulate evidence in his favour. [105]
The full-fledged plan of Choksi seemed to know no bounds as he sought to manipulate all the aspects of his case to delay his extradition and arrest in India. [106]
Despite all the efforts made by Choksi,[107] the investigation into his disappearance and alleged kidnapping turned out to be hollow as there was no actual evidence of the same. [108]
On the other hand,[109] the CCTV footage from the gated community in Jolly Harbour showed no sign of kidnapping and several interviews,[110] phone records and witness statements pointed out to the fact that Choksi had himself planned the entire plot. [111]
The investigations disclosed that the car of Choksi which had been strategically placed after it was moved and the entry and exit records of the transporters proved his involvement in the escape plan.[112] In spite of his claims of abduction,[113] there was simply no actual evidence to support the story. [114]
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Kenneth Rijock, a renowned investigator of money laundering and financial crime cases.[115] He has 30 years of experience in such investigations and has conducted a thorough investigation into the alleged kidnapping case of businessman fugitive Choksi.[116] He provided a comprehensive report on the case,[117] examining theories and other evidence into the mysterious disappearance of Choksi.[118]
Rijock's report
According to Rijock's report,[119] Choksi carefully crafted a plan of his own abduction and tried to portray it as the kidnapping case.[120] In his statement, Choksi noted that he was allegedly abducted by Indian officials who took him from Antigua and Barbuda as they referred to themselves as Antiguan police officers along with Indian nationals such as Gurjit Bhandal and Gurmit Singh.[121] He claimed that he was forcibly pushed into a boat by those individuals.[122]
His claims have reportedly been opposed by the leaked documents from the Antigua Police Department and Kenneth Rijock,[123] indicating that Choksi hired two Jamaican nations for a mission to transport him to Cuba - a country which has no extradition treaty with India.[124]
Choksi’s changed plan
According to Rijock,[125] Choksi was scheduled to leave Antigua and Barbuda on May 24, 2021, but he changed his plans and instructed two transporters to take him to Cuba on May 23, 2021.[126] In the middle of his journey to Cuba,[127] he got a call on his satellite phone who alerted him about the potential threat in the country,[128] leading him to change his destination to Dominica.[128]
After reaching Dominica,[129] he was arrested by Dominican police who identified him as the Indian fugitive businessman and discovered Interpol also issued Red Corner Notice against him.[130] Soon after his arrest,[131] the investigation started on the matter where Choksi gave a statement to police,[132] portraying himself as victim and used the humanitarian grounds to gain sympathy.[133]
According to Choksi,[134] he was kidnapped and beaten up by individuals who were sent by Indian authorities.[135] Contradictory evidence was provided by Kenneth Rijock in his report,[136] claiming that he was never kidnapped and plotted the narrative by himself to escape extradition to India.[136]
Other evidence
As per Antigua Police Investigation Report,[137] there were some clues of his alleged kidnapping,[138] however, they immediately changed their statements by claiming that Choksi was never kidnapped.[139]
Antiguan Prime Minister and police officials issued the statement and contradicted the theory.[140] Keneth Rijock pointed that the officials in Antigua and Barbuda cited that they found no concrete evidence in the investigation even after two years of disappearance.[141]
According to Rijock,[142] the investigation into the case also revealed no signs of forced entry at Jolly Harbour.[143] The area is sealed with CCTV surveillance and immigration controls that would capture any suspcious activities,[144] further contradicting Choksi's statements.[145] The investigation into the matter is still underway.[146]
Innocent individuals caught in the scheme
Rijock's investigation revealed that he manipulated Barabara Jarabik with expensive gifts and in return he gathered information to further include her in his plotting.[147] His finding suggested that the individuals Gurjit Bhandal and Gurmit Singh were also not involved in Choksi's narrative of kidnapping.[148]
Rijock claimed that if Indian agencies had kidnapped Choksi and there would be less chance for them to take him to Dominica.[149] Even, authorities didn't show up for seven days after the disappearance of Choksi from Antigua and Barbuda,[150] raising doubts about Choksi's claims.[151]
Bribing attempts in Antigua
Multiple news reports disclosed that Choksi tried to bribe officials within the law enforcement of Antigua and Barbuda.[152] He allegedly bribed senior police officers including Inspector Adonis Henry and asked him to manipulate the evidence or his report,[153] aiming to strengthen its kidnapping narrative.[154]
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