PNB Bank Scam: ED files chargesheet against absconding accused Mehul Choksi and his wife

The ED has filed a chargesheet against Mehul Choksi, a fugitive accused in the PNB bank scam and money laundering case. Mehul Choksi's wife Preeti Choksi and others have also been named in the chargesheet. Mehul Choksi is currently hiding abroad.

According to the chargesheet filed by the ED, Mehul Choksi's wife Preeti Choksi was the main beneficiary of the scam. Preity Choksi has also been hiding with her husband in Antigua since 2017, the ED said.

This is the second supplementary chargesheet filed in the Special Sessions Court in Mumbai against Mehul Choksi, his wife and six others, including their companies. In the Punjab National Bank scam worth about Rs 13,500 crore, the CBI and the ED wanted a fugitive from India. Mehul Choksi was arrested in Dominica on May 26 last year.

He was deported by a Dominican court following a hearing on a habeas corpus filed by Choksi's lawyers. The fugitive accused Choksi has been living in Antigua since January 4, 2018 and the CBI and ED are trying to extradite him to India. Fugitive businessman Nirav Modi is the nephew of Mehul Choksi. Nirav Modi is the main accused in the PNB bank scam. Nirav Modi is currently in London.

The ED has already seized the property of Mehul Choksi. Mehul Choksi's assets worth Rs 1,217 crore were seized by the ED. The ED seized 41 properties in Mumbai. The property includes 15 luxury flats and 17 offices. Apart from this, an office in Hyderabad, a shopping mall in Kolkata, a farm house in Alibaba and 231 acres of land were also seized. In addition, the ED has frozen shares of Mehul Choksi worth Rs 72.80 crore.