Following the arrest of fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi in Belgium, Vaibhav Khuraniya—one of the complainants in a fraud case against Choksi—expressed skepticism over the chances of bringing him back to India, citing complex legal procedures involved in extradition.
Speaking to ANI on Monday, Khuraniya voiced cautious hope but remained doubtful, drawing parallels to the prolonged legal battle to extradite another high-profile fugitive, Vijay Mallya.
“I just hope he can be brought back, but honestly, I don’t think it’s going to work out so easily. They haven’t been able to get Vijay Mallya back for years, and with all the legalities in play, it seems unlikely. Choksi has committed fraud globally—selling low-quality diamonds at inflated prices. That’s likely why Nirav Modi is already in jail,” he said.
Khuraniya added that only Choksi’s return to India would renew his optimism about the case finally moving forward.
The complainant had filed an FIR in 2016 at the Amar Colony police station in South Delhi, following an order from a metropolitan magistrate in the Saket court. The complaint stemmed from a retail franchise agreement Khuraniya and his associate had signed with Choksi’s company, Gitanjali Gems, in 2013.
According to Khuraniya, the agreement promised diamond jewellery and products worth ₹3 crore in exchange for a ₹1.5 crore security deposit. However, on the day of the store’s opening in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, they allegedly received only ₹50–70 lakh worth of substandard goods.
Mehul Choksi, who fled India in January 2018, is wanted by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged role in defrauding Punjab National Bank of ₹13,850 crore. His nephew, Nirav Modi, is also implicated in the massive financial scam.
Choksi’s arrest by Belgian authorities marks a significant development, but legal experts and stakeholders alike caution that the extradition process could be long and complicated.
