Fleeing On A Boat, Capture And Facing Deportation, A Timeline Of What Happened To Mehul Choksi

Fugitive economic offender Mehul Choksi who was captured by the Dominica authorities after he fled from Antigua and Barbuda where he had bought a citizenship and was hiding since 2018 will not be sent back soon as expected earlier.

This is because a court in Dominica has ordered that he can not be moved out of the country until further orders.

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May 23

The recent chain of events began on Sunday, May 23 when the 62-year-old scamster left his home for dinner in his car in Antigua and Barbuda.

But when Choksi did not return his employees reported him as missing.

On Sunday, the Commissioner of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, Atlee Rodney, had said the force is currently following up on the whereabouts of Choksi and Interpol issued a yellow notice for him.

May 25

He was arrested by Dominica Police on May 25 after he illegally entered the country on a boat. Choksi was caught as he was disposing of some documents at sea on the Canefield beach in Roseau.

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Choksi reportedly didn't have any plans to remain in Dominica and wanted to go to Cuba, after a couple of days.

After his arrest in Dominica, Antigua's Prime Minister had said that the fugitive jeweler can be sent back directly to India.

"We will not accept him back. He made a monumental error by skipping the island," Prime Minister Gaston Browne had said.

But according to his Indian lawyer Vijay Aggarwal, Choksi is no longer a citizen of India and can only be sent back to Antigua.

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May 27

On Thursday, Agarwal had said Choksi was forced to get into a vessel from Antigua and he was taken to Dominica.

He also claimed that Choksi was kept there and then on Monday he was taken to the police station but the news of his arrest was broken only on Wednesday and there are marks on his body of the force.

The advocate said: "Choksi has narrated his horrifying experience which is an eye-opener and vindicates my stand that he would not have gone from Antigua voluntarily. Choksi has said that he was forced to get into a vessel from Jolly Harbor in Antigua and he was taken to Dominica."

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Agarwal also said that Choksi was kept there, and then on Monday he was taken to the police station. Since then he has been there and this news to the world was broken only on Wednesday.

Based on a habeas corpus, on Thursday, May 27 a local court said Choksi cannot be moved out Dominica until further orders.

"Upon filing of habeas corpus petition titled Mehul Choksi versus Attorney general of Commonwealth of Dominica and chief of police, Dominica court has ordered a restraint on removing Choksi from the land of Dominica until further order," Agarwal said.