Mehul Choksi appears on camera, says allegations against him "false & baseless"

In response to diffusion notice issued by Interpol, the Antiguan authorities informed the Enforcement Directorate that Choksi arrived there this month and had taken the passport of that country, government sources told news agency PTI.

Photo: Mehul Choksi, one of the accused in the multi-crore PNB fraud

New Delhi:  Appearing on cameras for the first time after absconding India, PNB scam-accused Mehul Choksi has claimed innocence, saying that all the allegations leveled by the Enforcement Directorate are "false and baseless." Speaking to news agency ANI presumably from Antigua, Choksi said in an e-mail he questioned the regional passport office in Mumbai over revoking his passport making him "immobilized." "The passport authorities revoked my passport all together in view of which I was immobilized. On 16th Feb I received email from  the passport office which said my passport has been suspended due to reasons of security threat to India. On 28th Feb I sent an email to the regional passport office in Mumbai requesting them to revoke suspension of my passport, however, I did not receive any reply from the regional passport office. Further the regional office did not explain why my passport has been suspended and how was I pose threat to India," the Fugitive diamantaire said. The fugitive diamantaire had moved to Antigua, an island nation in the West Indies, from the US and got a local passport of the Caribbean country. In response to diffusion notice issued by Interpol, the Antiguan authorities informed the Enforcement Directorate that Choksi arrived there this month and had taken the passport of that country, government sources told news agency PTI. Choksi had fled the country in the first week of January, nearly a fortnight before the country's biggest banking fraud surfaced. The Central Bureau of Investigation has booked Choksi, uncle of his alleged partner in crime Nirav Modi, in two cases related to the scam and filed charge sheet against him. A special court in Mumbai has issued a Non-Bailable Warrant against him.

#WATCH PNB Scam accused Mehul Choksi on his passport revocation. Please note: ANI questions were asked by Mehul Choksi's lawyer in Antigua. pic.twitter.com/dwuPnOPaxd

— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2018

#WATCH Antigua: PNB Scam accused Mehul Choksi says, "all the allegations leveled by ED are false and baseless." pic.twitter.com/hkanruj9wl

— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2018

Armed with the warrant, the CBI moved the Interpol for issuance of Red Corner Notice against the Gitanjali group promoter, who is one of the masterminds behind US$ 2 billion banking fraud in the Punjab National Bank, but it is still under process. On this basis, request for Red Corner Notice was moved in June. While RCN has been issued against Nirav Modi and his brother Nishal by the Interpol, the request for such a notice against Choksi is pending with the Lyon-based international police cooperation agency, they said. The issuance of RCN would mean that the member countries of the Lyon-based international police cooperation agency can arrest and extradite him. The CBI, in its charge sheets filed on May 14, had alleged that Nirav Modi, through his companies, siphoned off funds to the tune of Rs 6,498.20 crore using fraudulent letters of undertaking issued from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai. Choksi allegedly swindled Rs 7080.86 crore, making it possibly the biggest banking scam in the country, it had alleged. On Monday, the CBI sought the extradition of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi's brother and Belgian national Neeshal Modi. A request has been forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for necessary action, an official said on Monday. (With additional information from Agencies)