Mon Apr 14 13:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Fugitive Indian Businessman Mehul Choksi Arrested in Belgium After Interpol Red Notice Withdrawn
**Brussels, Belgium** – Mehul Choksi, the Indian diamantaire wanted in connection with a ₹12,636 crore (approximately $1.5 billion USD) fraud at Punjab National Bank, has been arrested in Belgium. Choksi, who fled India in 2018, was apprehended on Saturday while allegedly attempting to flee to Switzerland. Belgian authorities acted on an alert from Indian agencies after learning of his presence in the country. The arrest comes months after Interpol withdrew a Red Notice for his arrest.
Choksi’s arrest concludes a complex and controversial saga. He was previously arrested in the Dominican Republic in 2021 for illegal entry, claiming he had been abducted from Antigua and Barbuda, where he had gained citizenship, and taken there against his will. His claims involved allegations of a “honeytrap” orchestrated by a Hungarian national, Barbara Jabarika, accusations she vehemently denies. Choksi spent 51 days imprisoned in the Dominican Republic before being returned to Antigua following intervention by the British Queen’s Privy Council. Charges against him in the Dominican Republic were later dropped.
In March 2023, Interpol withdrew the Red Notice against Choksi, a move the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) attributed to Choksi’s alleged submission of false information to international bodies. The CBI maintains that an Interpol Red Notice is not a prerequisite for extradition proceedings.
Choksi’s lawyer has stated his client is undergoing cancer treatment and seeks to continue it in Switzerland, citing health concerns and fears of inhumane treatment should he be returned to India. He intends to file an application in Belgium seeking relief on these grounds. Reports also suggest Choksi used fabricated documents to obtain a Belgian residency card, concealing his Indian and Antiguan citizenship.
First Piper 