NEW DELHI: Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has been moved to the government quarantine facility in Dominica, according to sources on Sunday. On Saturday, pictures of Choksi released by Antigua Newsroom showed him behind bars and with injuries on his hands and a swollen and bruised left eye.
These were the first public pictures of Choksi, who had reportedly gone missing on Sunday (May 23) evening. He was later apprehended by Dominica Police on Wednesday and had been in their custody since then.
On Friday, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court allowed Choksi to be transported to a hospital for medical attention and for the administration of a COVID-19 test.
Efforts have been scaled up to bring back the fugitive businessman to India. It is learnt that multiple agencies are in touch with the government of Dominica on the issue which has been told that Choksi is originally an Indian citizen and had taken on new citizenship to escape the law in India after having committed a fraud of almost two billion US dollars.
It is reliably gathered that India through back-channel and diplomatic route has clearly told Dominica that Choksi should be treated as a fugitive Indian citizen who has an Interpol Red Corner notice against him and he should be handed over to Indian authorities for deportation and to face the law in India for his alleged deeds which have robbed the Indian public of billions of dollars.
A Dominican court has extended till June 2 its order restraining the extradition of Choksi from Dominica. The High Court will also hear the Indian fugitive's habeas corpus plea on that date. Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted in India for allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) using letters of undertaking.