NEW DELHI: Our network of reporters are buzzing with the news of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who it seems made a futile attempt to escape to another safe haven from where he already considered to be. 

Choksi reportedly went missing from Antigua and Barbuda of which he had required citizenship in 2017, and a day later it was reported in the local media that he was captured in neighbouring Dominica based on an Interpol Yellow Notice was issued against him. 

Although my sources who keep a close eye on international links tell me different things about how and if he was made to escape, how he got hold of a boat, who facilitated him, on whose instructions etc, however, it would not be prudent on my part to write anything unsubstantiated. 

But do bear in mind Choksi is a multi billionaire with access to most of his funds, such a man in the tiny Caribbean country is nothing less than an Ambani or a Adani. His staff had reported him missing after his car was found abandoned on Sunday after he had gone for a dinner outing.

The businessman’s lawyer Vijay Aggarwal had formally confirmed that Choksi had been missing since Sunday. Aggarwal said, "I have spoken to his family, and they are happy and relieved that his whereabouts are now known. Efforts are being made to speak to him so that one can know the clearer picture of how he was taken to Dominica."

Well, all this sounds more like a James Bond movie script isn't it?

However, one veteran columnist who called me while having his night peg made a curious point, he wanted to know if India PM Modi will now be worried about his connection to the 'Chacha & Bhatija' or will get some brownie points and obviously all I could do was laugh. I told him the same thing, I do not comment on anything unsubstantiated.

Anyways, so now that Subodh Kumar Jaiswal is at the helm of affairs at the premium investigative agency Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI) and now he will obviously be channelising his energy into the first big case which although not old, is back into the limelight, the Punjab National Bank Fraud Case.

For the uninitiated, the Punjab National Bank Fraud Case relates to the fraudulent letter of undertaking worth about US $ 1.4 billion, translating to Rs 11,357 crore issued by the Punjab National Bank at its Brady House branch Mumbai, after the agencies began investigation they pegged the scam at Rs 13,700 crore. 

The fraud was allegedly organized by jeweller and designer Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi, brother Nishal Modi and uncle (Chacha) Mehul Choksi, all partners of several firms which has been set up for this embezzlement, namely Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds. These three along with PNB officials and employees were named in a charge sheet by the CBI. Choksi who primarily ran another group called the Gitanjali Group a retail jewellery company with 4,000 stores in India.

By the way, Choksi has a younger brother Chetan Chinubhai Choksi who owned and operated a diamond company named Diminco NV, based in Antwerp, also defaulted on a US$ 25.8 million payment to a subsidiary of ICICI Bank. The bank litigated a lawsuit against Diminco NV, in commercial courts in Belgium and UK and pending since 2013.

On a later date, CBI also named key officials Usha Ananthasubramanian, former CEO of PNB, executive directors KV Brahmaji Rao and Sanjiv Sharan in a charge sheet holding them responsible for failure to implement several circulars and caution notices issued by the RBI regarding the reconciliation of SWIFT messages and core banking systems which were manipulated for the duo Modi and Choksi to commit fraud.

Nirav Modi and his family absconded in early 2018, days before the news of the scam broke in India, while Choksi who was untraceable, later turned out that he had taken Antiguan citizenship by registration in November 2017. Interesting thing is, an Antiguan passport holder can travel to as many as 165 countries without getting any visa. But with an Interpol notice, he will be arrested immediately on landing anywhere and deported to India.

So thanks to Choksi now the PNB fraud case is back in limelight following 'disappearance in the Caribbean Islands of its prime accused Choksi, and his subsequent capturing following uproar in Antigua Parliament. 

The Press Trust of India ( PTI) news agency, reported on Wednesday midnight that the efforts were on to hand over Choksi to the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda. Quoting Caribbean media reports PTI said the fugitive Mehul Choksi, who had recently fled from Antigua and Barbuda, was captured in neighbouring Dominica after an Interpol Yellow Notice was issued against him. This category of notice is issued by Interpol to track missing persons.

The focus will be now on Jaiswal who is widely acclaimed for his integrity and methodical investigations in criminal cases, best reflected in the Abdul Karim Telgi Stamp scam involving among others then Mumbai Police Commissioner R K Sharna and Malegaon Blast case involving Prime Minister Modi's Bhartiya Janata Party MP elected from Bhopal. 

The reports of Choksi gone missing created a flutter in the Caribbean island country after the opposition raised the issue in Antigua and Barbuda Parliament.

Responding to the opposition, Prime Minister Gaston Browne had said that his government was collaborating with the government of India, neighbouring Caribean countries and the international police organisation Interpol to try and locate Choksi.

Antiguan Prime Minister Office formally said, "We have asked the Dominican Government to detain him (fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi) for entering their country illegally, to make him persona non grata and have him deported directly to India."

Browne has said Dominica has agreed (for Mehul Choksi's repatriation). "We'll not accept him back. He made a monumental error by skipping the island. Dominican govt and law enforcement are cooperating and  we have informed the Indian govt to have him repatriated to India."

So all in all, speaking in such a hurry, without waiting for investigating what really happened is Browne trying to score some Brownie points so that he can make his friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi happy, or is he trying to play a good cop himself? That remains to be seen.

In March 2021 just before India slipped into a ravaging second COVID-19 wave PM Modi had generously shipped over 500 thousand 'Made in India' COVISHIELD vaccines to Antigua & Barbuda and Browne had publically thanked PM Modi For 'generously & Selflessly' sending Vaccine Doses, he had in fact as per local media choked up while saying so. 

As a part of its vaccine diplomacy, India had in the first week of March 2021 shipped half a million COVID-19 vaccines destined for over 4 OECS countries and Suriname. 

In fact, emphasizing its 'neighbourhood first' policy, India had begun sending millions of doses of the 'Made in India' COVID-19 vaccines as grants to friendly SAARC member nations like Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Seychelles Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Mauritius. India's ‘Vaccine Maitri’ earns international applause, but later the country faced a severe shortage of vaccine for its own citizens which continues to date.

Nevertheless, the Indian agencies are now exploring all options to get Choksi deported to India from Dominica, and a source in the CBI tells me that even though he is also a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda, right now he is not in that country but in another country Dominica, and based on Red Corner Notice issued against him by Interpol the agency can try and deport him directly to India.

If that happens no doubt it would be extremely good for India and the agencies to get hold of the 'Chacha' it will also be good for the image of the government obviously, now that leaves only the 'Bhatija' to be bought back.