Fresh CBI FIR against Mehul Choksi in Canara Bank fraud of Rs 55.27 crore

Choksi, accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, is a citizen of Antigua. (File image)

The CBI has filed a fresh FIR against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi for allegedly cheating a Canara Bank-led consortium to the tune of Rs 55.27 crore, officials said on Thursday. The agency has also booked Bezel Jewellery and its whole-time directors, including Choksi, Chetna Jhaveri, Dinesh Bhatia and Milind Limaye.

The Canara Bank and the Bank of Maharashtra had sanctioned Rs 30 crore and Rs 25 crore respectively as working capital facility under a consortium agreement to Bezel Jewellery. It is alleged that though the loan was granted for the manufacturing and sale of gold and diamond-studded jewellery, the company did not route any of the business transactions through the account to hide diversion of funds.

The company did not repay the loan, causing a loss of Rs 55.27 crore to the consortium, the agency has alleged. Choksi is already wanted in a Rs 13,500-crore scam in the Punjab National Bank, along with his nephew Nirav Modi.

Choksi has taken the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda, where he is settled since he fled India in 2018.