Fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi, wanted in connection with the Punjab National Bank loan fraud case, has been arrested by the police in Belgium, a report claimed. The 65-year-old was arrested on Saturday at the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and is currently in jail. The police referred to two open-ended arrest warrants issued against Choksi by a Mumbai court, while placing him under arrest. Choksi, however, is expected to seek bail and an immediate release, citing ill health and other reasons.
On the arrest of Mehul Choksi, Minister of state for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary has said that it is a very big achievement. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already said that the ones who have looted the money of the poor will have to return it.
Choksi is wanted for his alleged involvement in 13,500-crore rupees loan fraud in Punjab National Bank. He has been living in Antwerp with his wife, Preeti Choksi. His nephew, Nirav Modi, co-accused in the same case, is awaiting extradition from London.They fled India in January 2018, weeks before the scam in PNB – the country’s second largest bank – surfaced.
