Mehul Choksi is one of the main accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam
The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth over Rs 14 crore belonging to Gitanjali Group and its promoter and jeweller Mehul Choksi, one of the main accused in the over Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case.
The properties attached, under the anti-money laundering law, include a flat measuring 1,460 sq feet at O2 Tower in Goregaon in Mumbai, gold and platinum jewellery, diamond stones, necklaces made of silver and pearls, watches and a Mercedes Benz car, the Enforcement Directorate said in a statement.
A provisional order for attachment has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the assets worth a total Rs 14.45 crore that are in the name of Gitanjali Group of companies and its director Mehul Choksi, it said.
Mr Choksi, 61, is the maternal uncle of Nirav Modi, who is the other main accused in PNB fraud. Mr Choksi fled India and is said to have taken shelter in Antigua and Barbuda.
Mr Modi, 49, is in a London jail after he was held by the authorities there in 2019 on the basis of a legal request made by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in this case. He is contesting extradition to India.
The two, their family members and employees, bank officials and others were charged by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI in 2018 for perpetrating the alleged fraud in the Brady House branch of PNB in Mumbai.
The Enforcement Directorate earlier attached a total of Rs 2,550 crore worth assets of Mr Modi and Mr Choksi in this case.