India seeks extradition of fugitive Mehul Choksi in ₹13,000 crore PNB scam case

Fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi, wanted in the massive ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case, was arrested in Belgium on April 12. Indian authorities have formally requested his extradition, reigniting diplomatic efforts to bring him back to face justice.

The Belgian federal public service of justice confirmed Choksi’s arrest and detention. He is currently being held in a Belgian prison while formal judicial proceedings are initiated. Legal access has been granted to Choksi, who fled India in 2018 and had been residing in Antigua. He was reportedly in Belgium for medical treatment when he was traced and detained.

Despite the Interpol Red Notice against him being revoked earlier, Indian investigative agencies like the CBI and ED continued to press for extradition. Supporting their request, they submitted two arrest warrants issued by a Mumbai court in 2018 and 2021, along with related charge sheets and prosecution complaints.

Choksi, now 65, is considered the second main accused in the PNB scam after his nephew Nirav Modi, who remains in a UK prison fighting his own extradition. The scam, unearthed in 2018, involved the illegal issuance of Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs), leading to one of India's biggest banking frauds.

India's Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal praised the arrest, crediting it to the government's diplomatic success. “This is a proud moment for India,” he said, emphasizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to recovering stolen public money. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary echoed the sentiment, calling it a “very big achievement.”

Meanwhile, Choksi’s legal team, led by advocate Vijay Agarwal, plans to oppose extradition by arguing that the case is politically motivated and that prison conditions in India pose a risk to Choksi’s human rights. Agarwal stated that the next legal step in Belgium is to file an appeal rather than seek bail immediately.

As extradition proceedings unfold, India’s law enforcement agencies and diplomatic corps continue to push hard for Choksi’s return to face trial in one of the most high-profile economic offenses in the country’s history.