Mehul Choksi arrested in Belgium — How PNB scam accused evaded capture for years

Absconding jeweller Mehul Choksi was arrested by Belgium authorities on Saturday, April 12, following an extradition request by Indian probe agencies for his involvement in over ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case. Mehul Choksi is likely to challenge his extradition to India on medical grounds.

An extradition request was moved by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the “second” prime accused in the PNB scam case when the diamantaire was found to be living in Antwerp city of Belgium in 2024.

The police cited two open-ended arrest warrants – dated May 23, 2018, and June 15, 2021 – issued against Mehul Choksi by a Mumbai court as a basis of his arrest. He is currently held in a jail.

Mehul Choksi fled India with his nephew Nirav Modi in January 2018 weeks before the PNB scam came to light. He initially traveled to the United States, later surfaced in Antigua, and eventually ended up in Belgium as Indian authorities pursued his extradition. He had acquired the citizenship of Antigua in 2017.

Reports also suggested he was planning a move to Geneva in Switzerland from Belgium.

Mehul Choksi had taken citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 and a complaint against him was filed weeks before in 2016.

In 2018, the proceedings to locate the fugitive began and extradition request was sent to the Antiguan authorities after credible information that he was residing in the Caribbean nation.

He then challenged the extradition request, citing poor prison conditions in India and claiming he was the target of a political conspiracy.

In 2021, he went missing from Antigua but was later discovered in Dominica, another Caribbean island nation. He was traced following a “yellow” notice by the Interpol. The CBI was then informed of his location.

A CBI team also left for Dominica to get him back in India but a high court of the country sent him to Antigua.

Also Read | Mehul Choksi’s first photo from Dominica under police custody

In February 2025, a Mumbai court was informed that Mehul Choksi was in Belgium for medical treatment of suspected blood cancer.

Two weeks ago, Mehul Choksi and his wife, Preeti, obtained F-Residency cards in Belgium. Preeti, a Belgian citizen, has family ties in the country, as does Choksi’s extended family.

This further complicated matters for India, as neither Belgium nor India is obligated to extradite its own citizens. Moreover, extradition would only be possible if the alleged offences are recognized as crimes under the laws of both countries, according to the extradition treaty between the two countries.

The residency also grants Mehul Choksi the freedom to travel between European countries.

‘I did not flee India’: Mehul Choksi

In May 2024, Mehul Choksi had told a special court that he did not flee India to “avoid criminal prosecution” in the PNB scam case nor is he refusing to return to the country, while arguing that he cannot be declared a fugitive economic offender.

The reason he gave was his passport was suspended by the Indian authorities, making it impossible for him to return and these were “reasons beyond his control”.

“It is the specific case of the present applicant [Mehul Choksi] that he has neither left India to avoid criminal prosecution nor is he refusing to return to India to face criminal prosecution, but has been unable to return due to reasons beyond his control,” his plea to the special PMLA court said.

Mehul Choksi also revealed that he left India for his medical check-ups, before FIRs were filed in the bank scam case.