Mehul ChoksiPunjab National Bank scamLondon High CourtIndian governmentAntigua kidnapping claim
Mehul Choksi Drops London Damage Claim Against India, 13,500-Crore PNB Scam
Published: September 30, 2026
Mehul Choksi, the 67‑year‑old fugitive diamantaire, dropped his London lawsuit accusing India of kidnapping him in Antigua on May 23, 2021. The dismissal follows a High Court ruling that he failed to post the ₹4.5 crore security, clearing the Indian government and four defendants of liability.
In a London High Court filing, Choksi alleged that a Hungarian national, Barbara Jarabik, lured him to an apartment in Antigua on May 23, 2021, and then forced him onto a boat to Dominica, where he was allegedly assaulted and threatened. The claim framed the incident as a ‘honeytrap’ orchestrated by the Indian government and five unnamed conspirators.
Choksi is the prime accused in the ₹13,500‑crore Punjab National Bank fraud that also names his nephew, Nirav Modi, who remains jailed in London. The PNB scam exposed a network of shell companies and forged documents that siphoned billions from the bank between 2018 and 2020.
A High Court judge ordered Choksi to deposit over ₹4.5 crore as security for the legal costs of the four male defendants, but he missed the deadline. The court dismissed the case against the Indian government and Jarabik, citing lack of evidence beyond Choksi’s testimony.
Choksi’s counsel, Gary Summers, said the withdrawal was forced by the financial burden and the court’s view that evidence was “hearsay”. The defendants, including former St Christopher and Nevis High Commissioner Gurdip Bath, have denied any role in a kidnapping plot.
Choksi currently remains in an Antwerp jail while appealing a Belgian extradition order to India. The dismissal may ease his legal battles, but the extradition case and the PNB fraud trial will continue.