The CBI said it will appeal to Interpol to renew the red corner notice on absconding diamond merchant Mehul Choksi.
“We got to know the trace of Mehul Choksi before Interpol issued a red corner notice. We tried to move him to India. The profit due to the red corner notice has already been made. However, we kept it as a precautionary measure,” revealed the CBI.
The CBI has also clarified that the withdrawal of the Interpol Red Corner Notice will not affect the process of moving Choksi from Antigua and Barbuda to India.
Mehul Choksi is the prime accused in the Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank scam. Choksi fled the country to Antigua and Barbuda. In 2017, Choksi’s trace came to light. In 2018, on the request of ED and CBI, a red corner notice was issued on Choksi. Interpol recently withdrew the notice.
Earlier, the Congress party has lashed out at the Center following the news that fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi’s name has been removed from the Interpol Red Corner Notice database.
The Congress Party tweeted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s favourite ‘Mehul Bhai’ is no longer on the list of wanted criminals.
“Modi’s favorite Mehul Bhai’s name is no longer on the wanted list. Interpol has removed the red corner notice against Mehul Choksi. Tell me when you will bring your Mehul Bhai to India. He has been on the run for five years. How much more time do you need?” Congress said in a tweet.
Red Corner Notices are issued to alert police forces around the world about wanted criminals who are on the run.
