New Delhi: After over a week on the run, fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has been arrested in the Caribbean island nation of Dominica.
Choksi (62) and his nephew Nirav Modi are co-accused in the over Rs 14,000 crore Punjab National Bank scam in India, and the CBI and Enforcement Directorate are fighting for their extradition.
Choksi fled to Antigua and Barbuda in 2018 and took up citizenship of the island nation.
Hunt For Choksi
Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda had launched a manhunt for Choksi after he was reported missing from his residence in the island nation earlier last week. They had even approached Interpol to issue a lookout notice for the “missing” diamantaire.
Choksi was last seen driving in the southern area of the island on Sunday. He was reportedly going for dinner at a well-known restaurant. Police have recovered his vehicle but were unable to trace him, reports suggested.
According to reports, it has emerged that Choksi took a boat from Antigua and surreptitiously sailed to Dominica. He was captured by Dominican police while trying to escape to Cuba over sea. He is currently under their custody.
Persona Non Grata
Meanwhile, the Antiguan government has asked its Dominican counterpart to treat Choksi as persona non grata and deport him directly to India for entering the country illegally.
Persona non grata refers to the revocation of diplomatic immunity of a person from arrest and persecution.
