Fugitive Businessman Mehul Choksi Held in Belgium Over PNB Fraud Case
Brussels, Belgium | April 14, 2025
Mehul Choksi, the Indian businessman wanted in connection with the ₹13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case, has been detained in Belgium. This move follows a formal extradition request made by Indian authorities.
Choksi, who had been living in Antwerp with his wife Preeti Choksi—a Belgian national—since obtaining an ‘F Residency Card’ on November 15, 2023, had been using his residency status to travel freely across Europe, complicating India’s efforts to bring him back.
According to sources cited by CNN-News18, Belgian authorities carried out the detention after receiving India’s extradition request. However, legal complexities related to Choksi’s Belgian residency may delay or obstruct the extradition proceedings.
Choksi, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, is accused of orchestrating one of India’s biggest banking frauds, allegedly siphoning over ₹14,000 crore from PNB. In 2022, the Enforcement Directorate filed its third chargesheet against Choksi and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He has also been officially declared a Fugitive Economic Offender by the Indian government.
