India pursues fugitive high-end jeweler arrested in Dominica

A wealthy jeweler sought by Indian authorities for questioning in massive fraud case in his native India remains under arrest in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica following a brief hearing

ROSEAU, Dominica -- A wealthy jeweler sought by Indian authorities for questioning in an alleged $1.8 billion fraud case in his native India remained under arrest Friday in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica following a brief hearing. Mehul Choksi is accused of illegally entering Dominica in late May after leaving the nearby island of Antigua, where he had been living after fleeing India. The 62-year-old recently pleaded not guilty, although the case is ongoing and he faces another hearing scheduled for Monday. His attorneys did not return requests for comment. India’s federal investigators have been trying to extradite Choksi and his business partner, Nirav Modi, since they fled the country in 2018 and question them about an alleged $1.8 billion scam at a large, state-owned bank.