“A Step Closer to Justice: PNB Scam Whistleblower Welcomes Mehul Choksi’s Arrest in Belgium”
In a significant breakthrough for Indian law enforcement and victims of one of the country’s biggest financial frauds, fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi has been arrested in Belgium. The arrest, carried out by Belgian authorities at the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has sparked hope for justice and financial recovery.
Hariprasad SV, the Bengaluru-based entrepreneur and whistleblower who first flagged irregularities in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, called the development “great news” not only for India but for all those deceived by Choksi. Speaking to ANI, he said, “Wow, Mehul Choksi getting arrested in Belgium is great news… The government must bring him back to India as soon as possible, and justice must be delivered.”
He also emphasized the importance of recovering the money looted from the Indian banking system. “The most important thing is to get back all those billions of dollars he looted and stashed across the world. Hopefully, the Government of India will succeed this time,” he added.
Hariprasad had raised the alarm as early as July 2016, writing to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about potential fraudulent activity within PNB, based on suspicious entries in the bank’s balance sheets.
Sources confirmed that Choksi was apprehended on Saturday in Belgium, and extradition efforts are currently underway. However, his legal team is preparing for a battle, citing his health and other reasons to resist extradition. They plan to seek bail and contest India’s request.
Mehul Choksi, now 65, left India on January 2, 2018, just before the massive Rs 13,850 crore fraud came to light. Alongside his nephew Nirav Modi, he is accused of manipulating bank systems and colluding with PNB officials to fraudulently obtain Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit between 2014 and 2017, causing a loss of over Rs 6,000 crore to the bank.
Choksi took Antiguan citizenship in 2017 before fleeing India, later surfacing in Dominica where he was reportedly trying to escape to Cuba. Though India sought his extradition, Dominica deported him back to Antigua. He eventually travelled to Belgium, reportedly seeking cancer treatment.
His arrest reignites the hope that justice will finally catch up with him—and that the stolen billions may be reclaimed. For whistleblower Hariprasad and many others, this marks a long-awaited step in the right direction.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
