Interpol junks RCN, fugitive Mehul Choksi now free to travel

NEW DELHI: The Interpol is learnt to have withdrawn its Red Notice against fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, causing an apparent setback to Indian law enforcement agencies’ efforts in extraditing the absconding diamantaire from Antigua.
Choksi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of over Rs 13,000 crore, had recently filed a petition in the Antigua high court accusing the Indian government and two Indian agents of having abducted him from Antigua and forcibly taking him to Dominican Republic in June 2021.

This incident and Choksi’s plea is learnt to have played a role in swinging Interpol’s decision with its officials being of the view that followup action (extradition to India) based on the Red Notice may deprive Choksi of a fair trial given the strong possibility that the 2021 incident was an attempt to extract him, sources said.
The issuance of the Red Notice, or an internal arrest warrant, against Choksi was a result of sustained efforts by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate as the Interpol had initially expressed its reservations after Choksi claimed he was being targeted for political reasons. However, it gave in as a red corner notice had already been issued against his nephew and co-accused Nirav Modi. The notice was issued towards the end of 2018 after a nod by the Commission for the Control of Interpol Files (CCF).
The Red Notice made Choksi a “fugitive” in 192 member countries and also restricted his visa-free travel to 32 countries on an Antiguan passport. The withdrawal of the notice, also known as Red Corner Notice or RCN, means Choksi can now freely travel across the globe. It is, however, assumed that he will continue to stay in Antigua for the fear of deportation from other countries.

CBI officials refused to react to the Interpol decision. Sources, however, claimed that it wasn’t as big a blow as the host country was not extraditing him despite the Red Notice.
In his petition to the Antigua court, Choksi had claimed that on May 23, 2021, he was lured to meet a woman named Barbara for dinner and was taken hostage by a group. “A hood was placed over his head after he was tied to a wheelchair and gagged... He was tortured before being wheeled into a small boat and was later transferred to Calliope of Arne (a Vincentian registered sailing yacht),” a complaint filed by him said. He claimed he was taken to Dominica. On arrival at Portsmouth Harbour, a coast guard vessel took him ashore where high-ranking police officers were waiting to take him into custody. He was accused of entering the country illegally, the complaint said.