NEW DELHI/BRUSSELS: In a major victory for Indian investigative agencies, a Belgian court on Friday approved the extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi to India, bringing the central figure in the ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam one step closer to facing trial.
The decision marks a critical turning point in a dramatic, years-long international chase that spanned the Caribbean and Europe, involving mysterious abductions and allegations of honeytraps.
Choksi, the owner of Gitanjali Gems, was arrested in Antwerp, Belgium, in April 2025, reportedly while he was in the country for medical treatment. Acting on an Interpol Red Notice and a formal request from the Indian government, Belgian authorities took him into custody on April 12.
On October 17, 2025, the Belgian court upheld his arrest as lawful and granted the approval for his extradition to India. Choksi now has 15 days to appeal the decision.
The ‘Netflix’ Plot: From Antigua to Dominica
Choksi and his nephew, Nirav Modi (currently in a London jail), are the main accused in the 2018 PNB fraud, which involved the fraudulent use of Letters of Undertaking (LOUs) to secure credit from overseas banks.
Choksi fled India in January 2018, just weeks before the scam was exposed. He surfaced in Antigua and Barbuda, where he had already secured citizenship through an investment program. His quiet life there was shattered in May 2021 when he mysteriously disappeared.
He was found days later in the neighboring island nation of Dominica, where he was arrested for illegal entry. Choksi alleged he was the victim of a kidnapping, claiming he was ambushed, beaten, and tasered by 8-10 men, some of Indian origin, at the residence of a woman named Barbara Jabarica. He claimed she was part of a “honeytrap” to lure him, and that he was forcibly taken to Dominica by boat to be deported to India.
A Dominican court ultimately blocked his deportation, and he returned to Antigua.
Political Ripples and the Final Act
The incident sparked a political storm in the Caribbean, with Dominican opposition leader Lennox Linton facing (and denying) allegations that he had accepted money from Choksi’s family to raise the issue in Parliament.
After the failed Dominica episode, Choksi’s capture in Belgium this year marked the final act. With the Belgian court now approving his return, Indian officials, including a CBI team, have hailed the ruling as a major success and are prepared to bring him back to face charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, corruption, and money laundering.
