India asked Antigua to detain Choksi: Details here
What's the story
India requested authorities in Antigua and Barbuda to detain PNB scam fugitive Mehul Choksi after it received information about his presence in the Caribbean island, government sources said today.
They said India was in touch with the island nation following reports of Choksi's presence there and requested the authorities to restrict his movements by land, sea, or air.
Here are more details.
Scam
Choksi, Nirav Modi allegedly cheated PNB of over Rs. 13,400cr
Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are being investigatED by the ED and the CBI after it was detected that they allegedly cheated the PNB of more than Rs. 13,400cr with the purported involvement of a few of the lender's employees.
The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies.
Information
But, why did he take up the Antigua citizenship?
Choksi and Nirav Modi fled India in January this year, a fortnight before the scam was detected. Recently, it was reported that Choksi had taken up Antigua citizenship last year to expand his business as the passport of the Caribbean nation provides visa-free travel to 132 countries.