After the 26/11 mastermind, Tahawwur Rana, was taken into custody by the NIA, India filed for the extradition of another high-profile fugitive currently in Belgium, Mehul Choski. Choski was arrested in Belgium on April 12 and has been in the custody of the authorities since then. He had fled from the country in 2018, after his alleged role in a 1.8 bn bank scam. On Sunday, it was reported that the Indian businessman had been arrested. After moving from one country to another, he has the citizenship of Antigua.
A diamond merchant, Choski, is wanted in India for an alleged fraud against one of India’s largest banks. Though there has been no statement by Choski on the issues, his lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, has said to appeal against the conviction and extradition. He further said that the stance of the Indian government is unjust as the accused is undergoing cancer treatment and is not in the situation to fly, adding to his statement Agrawal said that the trial may not be fair in India and he will raise an appeal on the ground that there is not enough evidence to prove the involvement of Mehul Choski in the case.
Choski and his nephew, Nirav Modi, are wanted for their role in the fraud against Punjab National Bank, and the orders for Choski’s arrest came in 2018 and then in 2021. Nirav Modi has been in prison in London since 2018. The PNB case involved using the bank’s money for money laundering, along with the help of some employees of the Brady House Branch in Mumbai. Ever since the news of the demand for his extradition came out, many have been satisfied with the decision, as the scam included the money of the people.
Hariprasad SV, who told the authorities about the scam, talking to the news portal ANI, said, “Apart from bringing him back, the most important thing is to get back all those billions of dollars he looted from India.” Though both Nirav Modi and Mehul Choski have denied the claims against them, there are several pieces of evidence to prove otherwise, making it one of the most high-profile and sensitive extradition cases for India.
