Mehul Choksi Detained in Belgium; India Seeks Extradition in ₹13,000 Crore PNB Fraud Case
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Summary: Mehul Choksi, a diamond dealer, was detained in Belgium on suspicion of committing the ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank scam.
Mehul Choksi, a diamond merchant, was detained in Belgium on April 14, 2025, after Indian officials requested his extradition. Choksi is the main accused in the ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, one of India's largest banking scandals.
Choksi had been residing in Antwerp, Belgium, after obtaining a residency card, reportedly through fabricated documents. His wife, Preeti Choksi, is a Belgian citizen. Before his arrest, Choksi tried to flee to Switzerland but was caught by Belgian authorities.
Since the PNB scam surfaced in 2018, he has been the target of investigations by India's Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs) and Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) were fraudulently issued by PNB employees to allow Choksi and his nephew, Nirav Modi, to steal funds.
Choksi's lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, stated that they will challenge the arrest and oppose extradition, citing Choksi's ill health due to cancer treatment. Choksi is not a flight danger, Aggarwal stressed, and he called the case politically motivated.
Indian authorities have dispatched a team of senior officials to Belgium to facilitate the extradition process. Choksi is also facing proceedings under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, which allows for the confiscation of the properties of individuals evading prosecution.
This arrest marks a significant development in India's efforts to bring back economic offenders and hold them accountable for financial crimes.
