The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is keeping an eye on fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s assets worth Rs 80 crore deposited abroad. The investigating agency has contacted foreign countries in an effort to return the money defrauded by Mehul Choksi to its original owners. ED has requested him to seize these properties and transfer the proceedings to India.
ED has identified these five properties as belonging to Mehul Choksi. Apart from this, ED has also found companies of Mehul Choksi in Thailand, Dubai, Japan and America. Which also includes a villa. Which is spread over 1,518 square meters. And other real estate (office space) owned by Mehul Choksi has been identified as being in Almas Tower, Dubai. Another real estate asset in Thailand has also been discovered. ED said that Mehul Choksi is the beneficial owner of the property. A flat in Manhattan, New York is also on the ED’s radar. Apart from this, ED is also keeping an eye on 7,49,500 shares of Mehul Choksi in Japan’s GSTV Company Limited. Mehul Choksi has 22.56 percent stake in the company.
Sources said that ED has already informed foreign agencies in this matter but no response has been received from them yet. Senior ED officials said, the aim is to seize the foreign assets of Mehul Choksi and return them to the victims. The order was passed by a Mumbai court in September last year on a petition filed by Punjab National Bank, ICICI Bank in connection with the fraud committed by Mehul Choksi. After which the above action was taken by ED. Last year a meeting was held between ED and bank officials. In which the investigating agency agreed to seize Mehul Choksi’s property abroad and return it to the victims. Last month, the ED had said that as part of the money laundering probe against Mehul Choksi, it has so far returned assets worth more than Rs 2,500 crore to the victims.
