He fled to Antigua, where he secured citizenship under the island nation’s investment programme.

After seven years of evasion, controversial billionaire Mehul Choksi—wanted in the Rs 12,636 crore PNB bank scam—has finally been caught in Belgium, just as he was reportedly planning a secret escape to Switzerland.

Choksi, the former head of Gitanjali Group, vanished from India in 2018, right before his role in one of the country’s biggest banking frauds came to light. He fled to Antigua, where he secured citizenship under the island nation’s investment programme.

His international hide-and-seek took a dramatic turn in 2021 when he was arrested in the Dominican Republic for illegal entry. Although Indian authorities rushed to bring him back, he convinced a court he needed medical treatment and was later released. Legal intervention from the British Queen's Privy Council halted his extradition, and he flew back to Antigua.

But Indian agencies didn’t let up. In 2023, they got a tip-off that Choksi had shifted base to Belgium. Turns out, he was trying to get residency there using forged documents—and didn’t mention his Indian or Antiguan citizenship. His wife, Preeti Choksi, is a Belgian citizen, which may have played into his escape plan.

He was arrested on April 12 by Belgian authorities after the CBI and ED shared key documents with their counterparts. He reportedly had plans to flee to Switzerland next.

In February, Choksi’s lawyers claimed he couldn’t return to India due to blood cancer treatment in Belgium. He even offered to attend court hearings via video call, but Indian agencies weren’t buying it—they wanted him back on Indian soil.

Now, with his arrest confirmed, Indian officials are pushing for his extradition. Choksi’s legal team, meanwhile, is preparing to fight back in court and apply for bail.