Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi on Thursday returned to Antigua and Barbuda, days after the Dominica High Court granted him bail on medical grounds.
Choksi had been in custody in Dominica for 51 days for allegedly attempting to enter the country illegally; his lawyers had claimed he was kidnapped and taken there at the behest of the Indian government.
After his arrival in Antigua, Choksi told news agency ANI that he had been "always available for cooperation" with Indian agencies probing charges against him in the PNB scam case.
Choksi told ANI, "I am back home, but this torture has left permanent scars on my psychology and physically, rather permanent scars on my soul. I couldn't imagine after closing all my business and seizing all my properties, kidnapping attempt would be made on me by Indian agencies."
Choksi claimed, "Many times, I told agencies to visit here to interrogate me as due to health issues, I was not able to travel anymore. I was always available for cooperation with the agency but this inhuman abrasion kidnapping was never expected by me."
Choksi even told ANI that he had been contemplating returning to India to prove his innocence, but was now apprehensive about his safety.
"Though till now, I have been seriously considering to return to prove my innocence in India. My medical condition is very bad and it has worsened like anything in... the last 50 days of my kidnapping and I am seriously apprehensive about my safety in India. Don't know if I'll be back in normal physical or mental state," Choksi told ANI.
The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda will continue to investigate the claims of Choksi's kidnapping and cases of revoking his citizenship, and his extradition hearings will continue in the courts there.
Choksi, who is wanted in the Rs 13,500 crore PNB fraud case in India, had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying after fleeing India.
