Will stay here, Expand business: Mehul Choksi on his Antigua citizenship
New Delhi, July 27: Billionaire diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, who has been at the centre of the biggest bank frauds of India, today broke his silence over the status of his Antiguan citizenship. He said that he has "lawfully applied" to be registered as a citizen of the Caribbean country.
In a statement by the fugitive diamantaire, Choksi "categorically" denied allegations made against him by the Indian authorities and media.
Choksi said that he has applied to citizenship of Antigua under the Citizenship by Investment Program in which a person can take their passport on a minimum investment of one lakh dollars in National Development Fund investment fund.
"During the course of my application, I did all that was lawfully required of me to do," he said.
He added that his application for citizenship was motivated by his desire to expand his business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa-free travel access to 130 or so countries.
Choksi has not mentioned the reason for fleeing India. He had fled the country in the first week of January, nearly a fortnight before the country's biggest banking fraud-- the multi crore Punjab National Bank scam-- surfaced.
Choksi said that he visited the United States in January this year to receive medical treatment. In the statement, Choksi reiterated his decision to reside in Antigua and Barbuda, the country of his citizenship.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation has approached authorities in Antigua for details on the whereabouts of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi.
Choksi had taken citizenship of Antigua in November 2017, and oath of allegiance on January 15, according to local newspaper Antigua Observer.
The CBI 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.
Courtesy: www.indiatoday.in
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
