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Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi on Monday accused India of orchestrating his abduction from Antigua and Barbuda in 2021 to extradite him in connection with the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case, Reuters reported.
Choksi, who was arrested in Belgium in April, is one of the prime accused in the case, along with his nephew Nirav Modi.
He had fled India for Antigua and Barbuda in January 2018, a few weeks before the fraud came to light, and became a citizen of the Caribbean nation. Choksi has since been living in Belgium with a residency card.
In July 2021, Choksi had accused Indian agencies of trying to abduct him. The businessman had gone missing on May 23 that year from Antigua and Barbuda, and was detained in Dominica the next day.
On Monday, Choksi’s lawyers told London’s High Court that only India had the motivation and resources to abduct him, reported Reuters.
In a civil suit, Choksi claimed that New Delhi used five persons from the UK to abduct him and torture him while forcibly taking him to Dominica, The Wire reported.
This attempt was allegedly foiled by a Dominican policeman who turned whistleblower and exposed Choksi’s presence on the island.
India’s lawyer Harish Salve said “there is no evidence of India having anything to do with the alleged events”, Reuters reported.
Indian authorities have also objected to the UK court having jurisdiction in the matter based on “state immunity”, PTI reported.
They have sought permission for expert evidence on Indian law and the Constitution to be taken into account.
The PNB fraud came to light in February 2018 when the bank informed the stock exchange BSE that it had detected “fraudulent and unauthorised transactions” worth Rs 11,380 crore at a branch in South Mumbai.
A few officials of the public sector bank had allegedly issued fraudulent Letters of Undertaking to Modi’s companies, resulting in the loss of Rs 6,097.6 crore to the bank.
Choksi had also defaulted on another loan he had taken from ICICI Bank.
After being detained in Dominica, he was charged with illegally entering the island nation. The Dominica government had declared him a prohibited immigrant. However, he maintained that he was abducted and taken to Dominica to be interviewed by an Indian politician.
After 51 days in prison, Choksi was given bail by the Dominica High Court on medical grounds. In May 2022, illegal entry charges against him were dropped.
Choksi has claimed that he cannot be declared a fugitive in India as he had left the country before a first information report was filed against him.
This article first appeared on Scroll.in
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