New Delhi: Mehul Choksi, the fugitive Indian jeweller, who has been evading arrest for quite some time now, has given up his Indian citizenship and has surrendered his Indian passport to the Indian High Commission in Antigua. The jeweller had been granted citizenship of Antigua in 2018.
This latest move by Choksi is being seen as a move to avoid extradition to India. Choksi is wanted in India in several cases of loan fraud. India had earlier said that Choksi cannot have dual citizenship after which the fugitive decided to give up his Indian citizenship.
Choksi handed over his passport (No. Z-3396732) to the Indian High Commission in Antigua. Choksi’s decision to give up his passport is to avoid arrest as India does not have an extradition treaty with Antigua. However, Indian authorities are trying to bring him back through a law which will allow the Antiguan government to transfer Choksi to a Commonwealth nation chosen by India. If that happens, then Choksi’s tenure as a fugitive will soon be over. CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have both filed cases against him on various charges.
Agencies