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Mehul Choksi

About Mehul Choksi

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Who is Mehul Choksi?

Mehul Choksi is a fugitive Indian businessman and the owner of Gitanjali Group, a retail jewellery firm with 4,000 stores in India. Choksi is currently residing in Antigua and Barbuda where he holds citizenship. Choksi, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, is wanted by Indian authorities in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam where it is alleged that the Choksi-Modi duo defrauded the bank of more than Rs 14,000 crore. An arrest warrant has been issued against Choksi and he is wanted in India for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty including delivery of property, corruption, and money laundering.

 

Early life

Choksi was born in Mumbai on May 5, 1959. He went to G D Modi College in Palanpur, Gujarat. He has a son and two daughters. One of his daughters is married to Akash Mehta, an Antwerp-based diamond merchant. He is the maternal uncle of Nirav Modi. Choksi’s younger brother Chetan Chinubhai Choksi owned a diamond company named Diminco NV, which is based in Antwerp. The company defaulted on a $25.8 million to a subsidiary of ICICI Bank.
 
Choksi started his career in the gem and jewellery business in 1975 and took over the leadership of Gitanjali Gems from his father Chinubhai Choksi in 1985. At that time, the firm was focused on rough and polished diamonds.
 

PNB scam

A special PMLA court in March 2018 issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Choksi and his nephews Nirav Modi and Neeshal Modi. They allegedly colluded with the PNB Bank officials to defraud the bank of over Rs 14,000 crore. The scam is said to be the biggest in India’s banking history. PNB Bank officials at the Brady House branch in Fort, Mumbai issued fake Letters of Undertaking (LoUs). The LoUs were opened in favour of branches of Indian banks for the import of pearls for a period of one year, for which Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines lay out a total time period of 90 days from the date of shipment.
 
The guidelines were ignored by overseas branches of Indian banks. They failed to share any document/information with PNB, which was made available to them by the firms at the time of availing credit from them.
 

When did Mehul Choksi leave India?

Choksi fled the country in January 2018 to Antigua and Barbuda, few days before the PNB scam was uncovered.
 
Investigating agencies have registered several cases against him and have attached several thousand crores worth of properties till now. Government authorities are trying to get him extradited to India.
 

What is extradition?

The extradition process enables governments to bring fugitives who have fled their country to justice. It typically is enabled by a bilateral or multilateral treaty. Some states will extradite without a treaty, but those cases are rare.
 

Where is Mehul Choksi right now?

Mehul Choksi is currently in Dominica. In May-end, 2021, Choksi went missing from Antigua and Barbuda. He was reportedly captured in Dominica while he was trying to flee to Cuba in a boat. A Caribbean court stayed his repatriation from the Dominican Republic.

Latest Updates on Mehul Choksi

A Mumbai court has approved the auction of Mehul Choksi's Rs 2,565.9 crore assets, seized by the ED in the PNB fraud case. The assets, including flats and factories, will now be liquidated

Updated On: 10 Dec 2024 | 6:05 PM IST

Choksi, an accused in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, is currently living in Antigua in Barbados

Updated On: 29 Nov 2023 | 9:43 PM IST

In October 2022, Sebi levied a fine of Rs 5 crore on him for indulging in fraudulent trading in the shares of Gitanjali Gems Ltd

Updated On: 15 Jun 2023 | 6:18 PM IST

he demand notice came after Choksi failed to pay a fine imposed on him by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)

Updated On: 18 May 2023 | 5:38 PM IST

CBI in its statement said that it remains committed to returning fugitives and criminals to India to face the process of criminal justice

Updated On: 15 Apr 2023 | 8:25 AM IST

On the issue of the presence of radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in Oman, Bagchi said the ministry did not have any confirmation of his presence in Muscat

Updated On: 24 Mar 2023 | 11:01 PM IST

Indian fugitive businessman Mehul Chowksi has been removed from the red notice list by International Criminal Police Organization

Updated On: 24 Mar 2023 | 6:43 PM IST

CBI has asked an Interpol body to restore Red Notice against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi terming its earlier decision to drop his name from the list had "serious shortcomings and mistakes"

Updated On: 21 Mar 2023 | 11:38 PM IST

Mehul Choksi, accused of committing a Rs 11,356.84 crore loan fraud case with the Punjab National Bank (PNB), was delisted by the Interpol from its 'red' notice list

Updated On: 21 Mar 2023 | 12:44 PM IST

In a major setback to Indian probe agencies, the Interpol removed fugitive Mehul Choksi, accused of committing a Rs 11,356.84 crore loan fraud case with the PNB, fron its 'red' notice list

Updated On: 20 Mar 2023 | 10:17 PM IST

Choksi has been scheming to illegally extend the court process in Antigua, by paying bribes to government officials: Kenneth Rijock, a financial crimes investigator

Updated On: 13 Jan 2023 | 9:43 AM IST

Karad also said that in the last five years, the banks in India have written off loans worth Rs 10.1 trillion

Updated On: 20 Dec 2022 | 10:53 AM IST

The bank, in its complaint that is now a part of the FIR, has alleged that Choksi and the other accused "were involved in the fudging of accounts, siphoning off funds

Updated On: 17 Dec 2022 | 9:52 AM IST

Choksi is already facing Income Tax department and ED action

Updated On: 31 Oct 2022 | 9:31 PM IST

These defaulters have the capacity to repay their loans but choose not to do so, says a report

Updated On: 20 Jul 2022 | 1:12 PM IST

The CBI has filed a fresh FIR against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi for allegedly cheating a Canara Bank-led consortium to the tune of Rs 55.27 crore, officials said on Thursday.

Updated On: 15 Jul 2022 | 12:48 AM IST

In reply to Lok Sabha in 2020, SP Shukla said 72 Indians charged with financial irregularities have been living abroad. The list includes names like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Lalit Modi

Updated On: 11 Jul 2022 | 11:57 AM IST

ED has filed a supplementary Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) complaint against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi and others in the Punjab National Bank scam case

Updated On: 07 Jun 2022 | 12:47 PM IST

ED said that Priti was hand-in-glove with husband Mehul Choksi in getting companies incorporated for him for laundering and siphoning of proceeds of crime and utilising and projecting them untainted

Updated On: 06 Jun 2022 | 11:35 PM IST

All the proceedings against Choksi of illegal entry into Dominica were dropped on May 20, the spokesperson said.

Updated On: 22 May 2022 | 3:55 PM IST