Mehul Choksi, a diamond merchant of Indian origin, and since 2017 a citizen of the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda, has filed an affidavit in the country’s High Court claiming he was abducted and tortured by agents of the Indian government in May 2021.
It was already accepted by the Antigua and Barbuda Police and the Dominican judiciary that Choksi was in fact kidnapped from Antigua and taken to Dominica against his will.
This could be the first time since Indian independence that the Government of India has, directly or indirectly, been accused of indulging in gangsterism abroad in an overseas court. India, however, is not named as a defendant.
A spokesperson for Mr Choksi Commented: “The report from the Antiguan police, and the evidence adduced by Mr Choksi in the ongoing High Court proceedings in Antigua, point to an alarming case of state orchestrated kidnap, torture and attempted rendition by the Indian government. The decision of Interpol to delete the Red Notice strengthens these concerns. Moreover, the preliminary ruling of the High Court in Antigua demonstrates that there is a case to answer for a full investigation. In turn, Mr Choksi has presented a compelling case that the Indian government is behind the orchestrated kidnap from Antiguan territory, the torture of Mr Choksi, and the attempt to render him to India in breach of the international rule of law.” https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/interpol-takes-mehul-bhai-off-the-red-corner-notice