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CBI suffers setback as Interpol withdraws its arrest warrant for Mehul Choksi.

In The Interpol has revoked the Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued against the principal culprit in the Rs 13,500-crore PNB bank fraud case, which is a big setback for the CBI and India’s efforts to apprehend fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi.

The warning has since been removed from Interpol’s website. “Due to the efforts of the legal team and the sincerity of my client’s case, his RCN has been cancelled, and eventually, truth has prevailed,” said Choksi’s lawyer in India, Vijay Aggarwal. The CBI, which is investigating the case, declined to comment.

According to sources, the RCN was withdrawn as a result of Choksi’s petition to Interpol. Choksi claimed a kidnapping attempt in 2021 by men he claimed were Indian agents who brought him from Antigua and Barbuda, where he was vacationing, to Dominica.

According to reports, the Interpol order noted that there was a “credible likelihood” that the applicant’s kidnapping from Antigua to Dominica was done with the ultimate goal of deporting him to India, where he would face a “risk” of not receiving a fair trial.

Choksi departed India in January 2018, only days before the CBI charged him and his nephew Nirav Modi in the PNB case. He had already obtained Antigua and Barbuda citizenship.

According to Choksi’s relatives and lawyers, he was kidnapped on May 23, 2021, by two guys named Gurmit Singh and Gurjeet Bhandal via a Hungarian woman described as Babara Jarabic and carried in a yacht to Dominica.

Choksi’s lawyers said that on the trip to Dominica, he was threatened and ordered to sign a consent form to be returned to India.

EXPLAINED

Stalls his return

This revelation undermines India’s efforts to reclaim Choksi and could be utilised by his defence during extradition procedures in Antigua. Except for India, he can now travel freely around the world. India can re-petition Interpol or receive a new notice in a separate case.

Choksi was later arrested in Dominica on suspicion of illegal entry. However, his lawyers claimed that a private jet carrying Indian authorities had arrived in the nation.

Choksi was able to return to Antigua after the illegal entry charge was transferred to a Dominican court. The charge was withdrawn in 2022.

While India maintains that Choksi is an Indian citizen, his lawyers argue that he lost that status when he obtained Antiguan citizenship in 2017.

The CBI charged Choksi with loan fraud again in December of last year. In the latest case, he is accused of cheating and diverting approximately Rs 6,700 crore in loan monies.

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