Mehul Choksi Arrested In Belgium | ₹13,000 Cr PNB Scam Fugitive Held

Fugitive diamond tycoon Mehul Choksi has been arrested in Belgium. The 65-year-old businessman, accused in the staggering ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, was reportedly undergoing treatment when authorities detained him over the weekend. Choksi, once a prominent figure in India’s jewellery trade, fled the country in 2018 after the fraud came to light. After years in Antigua and Barbuda, he recently relocated to Belgium, where Indian agencies—CBI and ED—had been tracking his movements. Sources reveal Choksi is currently in poor health and being treated for blood cancer, adding a layer of complexity to ongoing extradition efforts. Although India and Belgium have a mutual extradition treaty, Choksi’s legal status could complicate matters. He has not renounced Indian or Antiguan citizenship but managed to secure an F-type Belgian residency card. This isn’t Choksi’s first brush with the law overseas. In 2021, he was detained in Dominica but allowed to return to Antigua for medical reasons. His Interpol Red Notice was also lifted after legal appeals. Now, Indian authorities are racing against time to bring him back. Will Choksi finally be extradited? Or will legal loopholes keep him out of reach again?