Mehul Choksi in Belgium? India Seeks Extradition

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

• Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi is reportedly living in Antwerp, Belgium.
• Indian authorities are seeking Mehul Choksi’s extradition from Belgium.
• Choksi is accused of a Rs 13,500-crore bank loan fraud.
• Choksi allegedly submitted false documents to obtain residency in Belgium.
• Choksi is reportedly planning to move to Switzerland.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi is reportedly residing in Antwerp, Belgium, with his wife, Preeti Choksi, after obtaining a ‘residency card’. Indian authorities have requested Belgian authorities to initiate his extradition to India. Mehul Choksi is wanted in connection with a Rs 13,500-crore bank loan fraud.

Associated Times, a media outlet focusing on the Caribbean region, reported the extradition request. There was no immediate confirmation from Indian authorities.

Choksi, wanted in India for the Rs 13,500-crore bank loan fraud, was believed to be living in Antigua and Barbuda before traveling to Belgium. His wife, Preeti, is reportedly a Belgian citizen.

The media outlet reported that Choksi is currently residing in Antwerp, Belgium, after securing an ‘F Residency Card’.

The report claimed that Choksi provided misleading and fabricated documentation to obtain residency in Belgium, attempting to evade extradition to India.

Sources cited in the report said Choksi submitted “false declarations” and “forged documents” to Belgian authorities. He also misrepresented his nationality by failing to disclose his existing citizenship of India and Antigua during the application process.

He is reportedly planning to move to Switzerland, citing the need for medical treatment at a well-known cancer hospital.

Choksi and his nephew, Nirav Modi, allegedly siphoned off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) using fraudulent letters of undertaking.

Nirav Modi, currently lodged in a London jail, is contesting his extradition to India after repeated denial of bail by courts.

In May 2021, Choksi went missing from Antigua but was later traced and returned.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember

• Mehul Choksi is reportedly living in Antwerp, Belgium.
• India is seeking his extradition in connection with a bank loan fraud.
• Choksi allegedly used false documents to gain residency in Belgium.
• He is reportedly planning to move to Switzerland for medical treatment.
• Choksi and Nirav Modi are accused of defrauding PNB of Rs 13,500 crore.

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