Mehul Choksi feared for his life, was terrified, says wife Priti Choksi

Even as a court in Dominica is all set to hear the habeas corpus plea filed by the lawyers of fugitive Indian businessman Mehul Choksi later in the day his wife Priti Choksi in an interview with Business Standard has alleged that the mysterious girl Barbara Jabarika had come to Antigua and Barbuda in August 2020 and she had walked in to their other house on the islandShe also claimed that after his capture Choksi had thought he was going to be killedThe fugitive diamantaire who has been staying in Antigua and Barbuda since 2018 after taking citizenship in 2017 under the Citizenship by Investment programme had gone missing on May 23 sparking a massive manhunt in the island nationHe was captured in Dominica on May 27 A Dominican court has restrained the extradition of Choksi until further orders while hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by his lawyersIn the interview Priti Choksi said At 511 pm exactly on Sunday he left He wanted to go for dinner and he left thats the last time I saw him At about 830 or 9ish I began to get worried He is normally home by 7 pm But because he said he was going for dinner I started trying his numbers His Antiguan number came as voicemail and his WhatsApp numbers were ringing I was getting very very nervous I was lonely I dont know many people here in AntiguaShe further said that Choksi has a friend who comes as a consultant and works with himSo I called him up at about 10 or a quarter to 10 I asked are you with him My first thought in my mind was maybe he was walking on the beach and maybe he went to the water and maybe you know something happened an accident So this person also went out looking We have a cook who helps out I called him up and said by any chance did sir Mehul Choksi call you up And he said no Priti said in the interview to Business StandardNarrating the ordeal she said that then Choksis friend also came acrossI asked can you just go around to the beaches By 1030 a quarter to 11 he called to say he could find anything The other person also said the same thing Then both of them said let us go to the police station because this is not normal So we went to the police stationThere was curfew because of COVID from 11 oclock 11 pm to 5 am is curfew we had only one curfew pass So we went in one car to the police station These two people the consultant and the cook they wrote the complaint she told Business StandardShe also claimed that initially the police were like you should wait for 24 hoursBut we said there was no way he wouldnt be home They did take it seriously thank God and filed a complaint They had cruisers going on the beaches and roads at that time because of curfew they were making sure the beaches were not packed or people werent partyingThey immediately contacted the cruisers and said can you have a look We went and we also thought well look around if we can see him or the car on which he went This is about 12 oclock midnight Police said we are searching dont worry go home its curfew you cant be out They went on their patrol and we went home she recalled in the interviewWhen asked if she has the copy of the complaint which she filed with the police she said We asked for it but they said you now have to go through the commissioner and a lawyer to get it I am very disturbed that he Mehul Choksi was taken around 530 pm on a boat and no one seems to have seen it None of the video surveillance cameras at Jolly Harbour a popular part of Antigua are workingTo a question about the car which Choksi drove she said Where the car was found at 730 the following morning the police had patrolled the same area at 3 am and it wasnt there But it was mysteriously found at 730 amWhen asked about Jabarika who is alleged to have lured Choksi into her house from where he claims he was kidnapped Priti said No I havent seen her but I knew she had come to Antigua in August 2020 and she had walked in to our other house on the island and she befriended the chef thereI knew my husband used to walk with her On the Friday and Saturday before he was taken they went to Jolly Beach South for a walk Thats where my husband would normally go because there are lots of people there normally and all the houses have cameras she said in the interviewShe Jabarika insisted on Sunday that they go to the north side of the island He said he didnt feel like walking because he was feeling a little tired He said Ill just go for dinner Where she was suggesting it was very secluded Priti claimedWhen asked about the appearance of Jabarika Priti said Its not the person who is being shown by the TV media She looks different Youve got a sexy femme fatale being shown Thats not what she looks like She may have a good body whatever whatever but the thing is its not herWhen further pressed if Jabarika has disappeared or whether she is no longer in Antigua Priti said There are rumours surfacing that she may be in Dominica or she may have leftSharing the details of Choksis movements Priti said that he had not left the island in the last three years as his health is not good and he is 63 years oldShe also said that Choksis passport is at homeWhen asked about what happened to Choksi when he apparently arrived in Dominica on May 25 she said He wasnt allowed to meet a lawyer get medical attention nothingPriti said that the first time a doctor saw him was when the foreign minister from Antigua arranged for itShe also said that Choksi thought he was going to be killedThe narrative being woven is that he absconded and the first story the Cuba story pointed people in that direction It was very hamhanded My husband is no longer an Indian citizen as per Section 9 of the Indian constitution In 2017 he ceased to be an Indian citizen The safest place on earth for him is Antigua she addedChoksi is wanted in India by the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI and the Enforcement Directorate ED in connection with Rs 13500 crore Punjab National Bank PNB loan fraud case He had shifted to Antigua in January 2018 days before the CBI registered a caseLast Thursday the first pictures of Choksi emerged online showing several signs of bruises on his arms and a swollen eyeHis lawyer in India Vijay Agarwal had told IANS Choksi was forced to get into a vessel from Antigua and was taken to Dominica He also claimed that there were marks on Choksis body implying the use of forceThere is something fishy and I guess it was a strategy to take him to another place so that there are chances of sending him back to India So I dont know what forces are operating The time will tell he had saidHowever Antigua Police Commissioner Atlee Rodney has rubbished the claims of Choksis counsel and said that they have no information on him being forcefully removedAn eightmember team of Indian officials has also landed in Dominica on a private jet for the extradition of ChoksiThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness 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