Mehul Choksi, the rogue jeweller wanted by law enforcement agencies in connection with Rs 14,000 crore Punjab National Bank loan fraud, has gone missing in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, where he had taken refuge after fleeing India in 2018.
Antigua Newsroom, a local media outlet , cited police commissioner Atlee Rodney as saying his officers were "following up on the whereabouts of Indian businessman Mehul Choksi".
Meanwhile, intelligence sources, quoting local media in Antigua, say Mr Choksi might have shifted base to Cuba, a country which also does not have an extradition agreement with India.
According to news agency ANI, 62-year-old Choksi left his home on Monday evening to go for dinner at a restaurant in the southern part of the island. He has not been seen since. His vehicle was found later but there was no sign of him, local news channels reported.
Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said his client is missing and that his family is looking for him. He also said Antiguan police had launched a manhunt.
CBI sources said the investigative agency has not been officially informed that Choksi is missing. The CBI is writing to the Antiguan embassy in India for confirmation and more information.
CBI sources also said a Red Notice against Choksi issued by Interpol in 2018 requires that they be alerted if he enters any immigration point anywhere in the world.
Choksi has used his ill-gotten money to obtain a citizenship of Antigua, which is a tax haven. Getting him back requires a long-drawn legal process involving the country’s courts.
Last year Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that citizenship would be revoked once all of his legal options had been exhausted.
Mr Browne had said his country will not provide "safe harbour for criminals, for those who are involved in financial crimes".
Choksi's nephew, fugitive billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, 50, is also wanted in connection with the PNB scam case. Nirav Modi also fled India in 2018 and is currently in the United Kingdom.
His extradition was cleared by the British government last month. However, Nirav Modi can still challenge that extradition order before the UK High Court.
