Choksi claims that he was kidnapped from Antigua by agents of the Indian state,[10] while several reports and investigation revealed that he fled the country to escape legal proceedings in India.
[11] After being found and arrested in Dominica under charges of illegal entry he was then returned to Antigua and Barbuda on interim bail for medical treatment.
[21][22] His younger brother Chetan Chinubhai Choksi owned and operated a diamond company named Diminco NV, based in Antwerp, which had defaulted on a US$25.8 million payment to a subsidiary of ICICI Bank.
[26] They are suspected of colluding with two employees of Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country's second-largest state-owned lender, in an alleged $1.8 billion fraud.
The central probe agency provisionally attached 15 flats and 17 office premises in Mumbai, a mall in Kolkata, a four-acre farm house in Alibaug and 231 acres of land at locations like Nashik, Nagpur, Panvel in Maharashtra and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, in February 2018 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the about US$2 billion alleged fraud at a Mumbai-based branch of the Punjab National Bank (PNB).
[30][31][32] On 17 June, his lawyer informed the Bombay High Court that he left India for medical check-up and not to avoid prosecution in the case.
[35] In April 2021,[36] Choksi made the decision to leave Antigua and Barbuda,[37] where he had been residing after fleeing India following the billion-dollar PNB scam.
[44] Moreover,[45] the fugitive also lured an innocent tourist from Hungary named Barbara Jarabik in Antigua into his plan while portraying himself as Raj in front of her and gifting her an expensive diamond necklace.
[64] It is reported that while the Antigua and Barbuda police officials were searching for him in the vicinity of the rented house,[65] he was sleeping inside peacefully,[66] waiting for the morning to escape from there.
[69] He boarded the dinghy and seemed very nervous as he had bruises on the face to which Emmanuel asked is everything right but without giving any proper answer,[70] he got inside the ferry with a hope that is carefully crafted plan would work.
[75] While Choksi was making his way to Dominica,[76] the situation in Antigua and Barbuda got worse as his family reported him missing,[77] leading the police officials conducting searches across the island.
[86] Soon after the report was made,[87] the local authorities arrived and arrested Choksi,[88] who claimed that he was forcibly brought to Dominica against his will and in a statement to police,[89] he also insisted that he was a victim of kidnapping.
[90] As the arrest was made in Dominica,[91] the police quickly confirmed his identity through their records which revealed that Choksi had a Red Corner Notice out against him by the Indian lawmakers.
[108] On the other hand,[109] the CCTV footage from the gated community in Jolly Harbour showed no sign of kidnapping and several interviews,[110] phone records and witness statements pointed out to the fact that Choksi had himself planned the entire plot.
[111] The investigations disclosed that the car of Choksi which had been strategically placed after it was moved and the entry and exit records of the transporters proved his involvement in the escape plan.
[122] His claims have reportedly been opposed by the leaked documents from the Antigua Police Department and Kenneth Rijock,[123] indicating that Choksi hired two Jamaican nations for a mission to transport him to Cuba - a country which has no extradition treaty with India.
[126] In the middle of his journey to Cuba,[127] he got a call on his satellite phone who alerted him about the potential threat in the country,[128] leading him to change his destination to Dominica.
[128] After reaching Dominica,[129] he was arrested by Dominican police who identified him as the Indian fugitive businessman and discovered Interpol also issued Red Corner Notice against him.
[130] Soon after his arrest,[131] the investigation started on the matter where Choksi gave a statement to police,[132] portraying himself as victim and used the humanitarian grounds to gain sympathy.
[140] Keneth Rijock pointed that the officials in Antigua and Barbuda cited that they found no concrete evidence in the investigation even after two years of disappearance.
[152] He allegedly bribed senior police officers including Inspector Adonis Henry and asked him to manipulate the evidence or his report,[153] aiming to strengthen its kidnapping narrative.