Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, who has been on the run since the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case surfaced, has been traced to Antwerp, Belgium, where he is living with his Belgian national wife, Preeti Choksi.
According to a report by Associates Times, Indian authorities have reached out to their Belgian counterparts to initiate the extradition process.
Choksi, 65, was previously believed to be residing in Antigua and Barbuda, where he holds citizenship. However, Antigua’s Foreign Minister EP Chet Greene recently confirmed that Choksi had left the Caribbean nation for medical treatment.
Choksi obtained an "F residency card" in Belgium on November 15, 2023, allegedly using misleading and fabricated documents to support his application. This temporary residency status, which he secured through his wife, allows third-country nationals living in Belgium to be accompanied by their spouse under certain conditions.
If Choksi manages to convert this temporary residency into a permanent one, he could gain greater mobility within Europe, making it harder for Indian authorities to bring him back. Additionally, reports indicate that he is considering traveling to Switzerland for medical treatment, specifically at the Hirslanden Klinik Aarau, potentially using humanitarian grounds to resist extradition.
Choksi has been wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly defrauding PNB of ₹13,850 crore. He fled India in January 2018 when the fraud case was exposed.
In May 2024, he told a Mumbai special court that he had been unable to return to India due to circumstances beyond his control, arguing that he should not be labeled a "fugitive economic offender." However, the ED sought to declare him as one, requesting the court to seize his assets.
His disappearance from Antigua in May 2021 led to speculation about an abduction, but he was later found in Dominica, refuting claims that the Indian government was involved in his alleged kidnapping.
India has been working to recover assets linked to economic offenders like Choksi. In December 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament that properties worth ₹22,280 crore had been recovered or sold to repay debts linked to Choksi and other absconding fraudsters.
Meanwhile, Choksi’s nephew, Nirav Modi, another key accused in the PNB fraud, remains entangled in a legal battle in the UK, resisting extradition to India.