Truth behind Mehul Choksi’s “Kidnapping” Claims & UK Lawsuit Narrative

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has long alleged that he was abducted from Antigua in May 2021. Choksi has even filed a civil suit in the High Court of England and Wales (London) accusing Indian authorities of a conspiracy to kidnap him. However, a close examination of legal facts, timelines, and independent investigations reveals serious flaws in Choksi’s claims. 

Anyone Can File a UK Lawsuit, “Filing Doesn’t Prove Facts”

Choksi’s lawyers have pointed to his London lawsuit as validation of his kidnapping story. In reality, initiating a case in a UK court is neither difficult nor evidence of merit. Anyone can file a claim by paying the required fee, no substantive proof is required at the filing stage. The UK civil procedure is such that the court does not test the evidence or merits of the case when a claim is filed. 

A claimant merely submits a “Particulars of Claim” outlining allegations, and the case proceeds through procedural steps. Only later will the court assess whether the claimant has sufficient evidence and whether the claim should be dismissed or go to trial. 

In other words, Choksi’s ability to lodge a lawsuit in London “regardless of evidence” is not indicative of truth, it simply means he paid the filing fee and put allegations on paper. It bears noting that Choksi is seeking only about £337,918 in damages (a negligible sum for someone accused of defrauding ₹13,500 crore (USD 2 billion), fueling speculation that the suit’s real purpose is publicity or delay rather than compensation.

No UK Jurisdiction: An Attempt at “Forum Shopping”

Legal experts have flagged that London is an odd venue for Choksi’s lawsuit. The UK courts have no obvious jurisdiction over an alleged kidnapping or disappearance that occurred in the Caribbean (Antigua and Dominica) and involved an Antiguan citizen (Choksi). The defendants Choksi accuses the Government of India of having no clear ties to England in relation to this incident. In fact, Choksi’s move to involve the UK is widely seen as “forum shopping”: seeking a friendly or convenient jurisdiction despite tenuous connections.

Crucially, British courts are generally reluctant to hear cases about crimes by foreign states on foreign soil, such cases are usually admissible only against regimes with poor rule-of-law records. India is the world’s largest democracy, and Antigua and Dominica (where the events happened) are also democracies with their own courts. It is hard to see how a UK judge could assert authority over this dispute. Indeed, India’s lawyers have formally objected to the London court’s jurisdiction, citing state immunity and forum non conveniens (that Antigua/Dominica are the proper forums). The fact that Choksi chose the UK, hired high-profile London lawyers, and even simultaneously pursued a case in Antigua strongly suggests a deliberate ploy to complicate and delay proceedings ultimately delaying his extradition from Belgium to India, where he is currently detained.

No Connection to England

Adding to the jurisdictional error, Mehul Choksi has no residential or citizenship ties to the UK. He is an Indian-born businessman who became a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda. At the time of the alleged incident in May 2021, he was living openly in Antigua. He has never been a UK citizen or resident, nor was he on UK soil during any relevant event. 

Currently, Choksi is known to be based in Antwerp, Belgium (where he fled in 2023 and is currently detained by Belgian authorities). The lack of any UK nexus underscores how fabricated the London lawsuit is, Choksi essentially imported a Caribbean dispute to a British courtroom. Legal commentators note that this mirrors tactics used by other Indian fugitives who parked themselves in the UK to avoid extradition (e.g. fraudster and nephew Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, or arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari). 

In this case, the alleged conspiracy is said to have occurred somewhere in the UK, but no specific location such as London, Birmingham, or any other city has been mentioned by Mehul Choksi.

The complainant, a fugitive from India, has a documented history of fraudulent activity. He allegedly lied to secure large loans, falsified information to obtain the citizenship of another country, and again misrepresented facts on his application for Belgium’s F residency. These repeated instances of deceit raise serious doubts about the reliability of his current claims.

Questions are also being raised about how he is funding high-profile legal representation in the UK, especially since his assets in India remain under seizure.

Legal commentators suggest that the Honourable Court is unlikely to give weight to these accusations. His past actions have had devastating consequences, with multiple individuals reportedly driven to suicide. Now, he appears to be targeting innocent parties who have no involvement in his past dealings entangling them in protracted legal processes while attempting to exploit legal loopholes to evade accountability.

“No Conclusive Evidence”

Just one month after the supposed kidnapping, Antigua’s Prime Minister publicly stated there was no evidence of any such crime. On June 22, 2021, after consultations with the Police Commissioner, PM Gaston Browne told Parliament that “there is no conclusive evidence of kidnapping in Antigua and Barbuda”. For the head of government to say this on record strongly suggests that Antigua’s authorities initially found nothing to corroborate Choksi’s abduction claims. (At that time, Choksi had already alleged in a Dominican court that he was abducted, so Antiguan police were actively looking into it.) 

Browne’s statement undercuts the notion that Choksi’s tale was ever substantiated by evidence, quite the contrary, the official stance was that Choksi’s claim lacked proof. It was only later, under pressure, that a controversial Antiguan police report emerged. 

Choksi’s UK lawsuit lean heavily on a report by Inspector Adonis Henry, the Antiguan officer who led the missing-person (later “kidnapping”) investigation. Henry’s report, dated April 07, 2022, concluded that “a case of kidnapping with broad collusion among multiple conspirators exists.” This is the conclusion Choksi wanted, but it is crucial to understand the context and subsequent revelations about this report. Multiple sources have since called Henry’s findings into question, suggesting the report was manipulated or even fabricated to fit Choksi’s narrative.

Financial crime investigator Kenneth Rijock, a former banking lawyer and noted expert who has closely examined Choksi’s case, uncovered evidence that Inspector Henry’s report was not an impartial inquiry, but effectively dictated by Choksi’s side. 

Rijock obtained a copy of a police statement form signed by Henry on 7 April 2022(months after the initial report) and found that it contained an elaborate story aligning perfectly with Choksi’s abduction claims. 

This document, meant “For Police Use Only.” Rijock bluntly asserts that Henry’s statements in that report are a “complete fabrication.” After reviewing the evidence (or lack thereof), Rijock concluded the entire “kidnapping” scenario described was fictional, seemingly concocted to get Choksi off the hook in Dominica. 

For example, Henry’s report claimed Choksi’s car was found by police in a location that had been searched earlier, implying the vehicle was planted later to create a crime scene. Sure enough, the car’s sudden appearance “in an area which was previously checked” strongly suggests evidence tampering by aides of Mehul Choksi.

Moreover, Antigua’s police surprisingly failed to interview key witnesses or gather basic evidence that would be expected if a real abduction by foreigners took place. Henry did not coordinate with Antiguan immigration or customs officials to verify movements of the supposed culprits, nor did he liaise with Dominican authorities who inspected the yacht in question. No forensic examination of the alleged getaway boat (“Calliope of Arne”) was done. 

False Claim: Antigua Investigation Ended in 2021 & Jamaican Twist

Choksi’s lawsuit give the impression that Antigua’s authorities wrapped up their investigation by June 2021, implying they quickly went silent after Henry’s report. This is misleading. Investigative efforts actually continued into 2022, uncovering new information, but those findings did not support Choksi’s version. In reality, what happened after mid-2021 was that behind the scenes, evidence emerged pointing to an alternative theory involving Choksi’s own escape plot.

As noted, Inspector Henry was still generating reports as late as April 2022. According to leaked police documents obtained by journalists and very well mentioned by Kenneth Rijock reveals details about two Jamaican men who were involved with Choksi around the time of his disappearance. These men, identified as Paul Stephen Emmanuel and Leonard Anthony Cole, both Jamaican nationals, flew into Antigua in early May 2021 and met with Choksi in Jolly Harbour. 

A police report (later leaked) outlines that in those meetings Choksi negotiated with the Jamaicans to smuggle him out to Cuba in late May 2021, in exchange for a hefty fee (US $200,000). Choksi even paid a $50,000 deposit and gave a one-week notice for the escape date. This information, which emerged from the Antiguan police’s continuing work (and possibly from interrogating those Jamaicans or other witnesses), directly contradicts the notion that the case was closed in June 2021. It shows the police had leads implicating Choksi himself in arranging an illicit exit.

Far from ending in June, the investigation pivoted towards this Jamaican connection, though oddly these details never made it into Henry’s final official report. Instead, they were leaked later prompting serious questions about why the Antiguan police omitted such critical evidence. 

Immigration records confirmed Emmanuel and Cole’s travel to Antigua. In other words, by 2022 Antigua’s investigators had identified an alternate scenario: Choksi’s “kidnappers” were actually hired facilitators for his planned getaway.

Timeline Chaos: The Yacht That Left Before Choksi Did

Perhaps the clearest factual refutation of Choksi’s kidnapping tale lies in the timeline of May 23, 2021, the day he vanished from Antigua. Choksi’s “Particulars of Claim” alleges that on that day persons physically overpowered him and put him on a yacht named Calliope of Arne, which then whisked him to Dominica by the next day. However, official records from Antigua and Dominica show a blatant time mismatch in this claim.

According to Antigua’s Customs & Immigration logs, the Calliope of Arne departed Antigua’s shores at around 10:30 AM on May 23, 2021. This was a full six to seven hours before Choksi even left his home that evening. 

In fact, by Choksi’s own account, he was at his residence until at least 5:00 PM on May 23. CCTV footage and witness statements confirm he was seen that afternoon in Antigua, with nothing unusual until he failed to return home after sunset. 

Choksi’s wife reported him missing to police at 5:11 PM that day. Therefore, it is chronologically impossible for Choksi to have been abducted and put on a boat that set sail hours earlier. Dominican authorities corroborated that the Calliope arrived in Dominica by the next morning, May 24, with no sign of Choksi aboard. 

In fact, Dominican Customs logged that vessel’s arrival around 10 AM on May 24 (with two charter guests and three crew), whereas Choksi turned up in Dominica much later on May 24, bruised and disoriented on a beach, in the evening. Simply put, Choksi could not have been on the Calliope of Arne. The timelines “completely mismatch the assumptions of Choksi,” as one report noted.

In sum, the hard timing data destroys the core of Choksi’s kidnap story. You cannot be abducted onto a boat that sailed away while you were still comfortably at home.It’s a fatal flaw in Choksi’s claims. It strongly supports the theory that Choksi’s disappearance was self-engineered, since the “kidnappers” he fingers had left long before, and whoever assisted him must have been operating on a different schedule.

Dominica Police Diary

The police diary from Dominica reveals that Mehul Choksi was arrested on a Toucari beach near Roseau, with statements recorded from as many as over eight officers involved in the case.

Investigating officer, Corporal Cedric Williams has also acknowledged having a close personal relationship with Priti Choksi, the wife of Mehul Choksi. This was confirmed by Cpl Williams himself in a statement provided to private detective Oliver Lawrence. 

Moreover, Mehul Choksi in his statement to the UK court claimed that three accused met with PM Gaston Browne on May 23, 2021 in the evening after Choksi disappeared. Significantly, official records and official Meta pages of the Prime Minister confirm that PM Browne was not present in the country on that day. Yet, he delivered a virtual speech the very next day on May 24, 2021 at 74th World Health Assembly in Geneva while he was on an official visit to New York. 

Moreover, the investigation was halted without fully examining the potential involvement of two Jamaican nationals who were allegedly responsible for transporting Choksi from Antigua to Cuba, before ultimately leaving him in Dominica.

Below videos produced by investigative journalists reveals the truth behind disappearance of Mehul Choksi episode: Scam Unfolds | How Mehul Choksi fooled the world | India | Caribbean

Investigation by Former Assistant Commissioner of Police (Scotland Yard)

Former Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner of Police, Tarique Ghaffur, led a team of two expert investigators who travelled to Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Dominica, to examine the events surrounding the disappearance of Mehul Choksi. The investigative team met with key witnesses and conducted a thorough inquiry, ultimately concluding that there was no evidence to support the claim that Mehul Choksi had been kidnapped.

However, the investigation validated aspects of Kenneth Rijock’s findings. Statements made by Rijock regarding two Jamaican nationals arriving in Antigua and meeting with Mehul Choksi were corroborated by immigration records, which confirmed that both Emmanuel and Cole entered Antigua and had contact with Choksi.

The team found that the Antigua police had determined the incident was not a kidnapping, but rather an attempted escape. Following this assessment, it appears that the Antigua police may have discontinued the investigation into the kidnapping allegations after April 2022.

The Alternate Story: A Planned Escape to Cuba Goes Awry

So if Choksi wasn’t kidnapped by Indians, what did happen? Investigators and journalists who have dug into the case present a far more plausible narrative: Choksi staged his own escape but bungled it. Multiple independent reports (and even some of Choksi’s acquaintances’ statements) indicate that Choksi had a premeditated plan to flee Antigua for Cuba, to evade looming extradition efforts by India. Cuba is notable because it has no extradition treaty with India, making it a logical “safe haven” for someone in Choksi’s predicament.

Kenneth Rijock’s investigation reveals the following scenario: In early 2021, anticipating that Antigua might eventually send him to India, Choksi arranged for a clandestine exit. He secured a safehouse in Cuba and contacted a willing “transport” crew the aforementioned Jamaican men to pick him up by boat. 

The deal was set for late May 2021, and Choksi paid a down payment. The plan was that on a chosen evening, Choksi would quietly slip away from Antigua, rendezvous with the smuggling vessel offshore, and be taken miles to Cuba where Indian extradition warrants couldn’t reach him.

What went wrong? According to Rijock’s sources, a last-minute change and a payment snag derailed the scheme. Initially Choksi told the boat to come on May 24, 2021, but then abruptly on May 23 he demanded to be picked up that very night. 

This short notice was impossible for the Jamaicans, they hadn’t arrived yet. Choksi nonetheless went to a predetermined safe location (a vacant villa in Antigua’s North Finger area) on May 23 and hid overnight, waiting for pickup the next morning. Early on May 24, the smugglers did show up in a small dinghy and ferried Choksi to their larger vessel offshore. 

At this point, Choksi was effectively executing his own escape. He had even prepared a cover story: his family had reported him “missing” the evening before, and they staged finding his car in a spot to suggest abduction. (In fact, evidence indicates Choksi’s family parked his car in that location on the morning of May 24, an obvious attempt to kick-start a “kidnapping” narrative.)

Once aboard the boat, Choksi appeared to have minor injuries (a bruised eye, cut hand) which Rijock explained as accidents from stumbling in the dark. However, those injuries conveniently would later support his story of being beaten, a coincidence not lost on skeptics. 

A few hours into the voyage toward Cuba, Choksi got cold feet. He received a phone call on a satellite phone he carried, which made him anxious. He suddenly instructed the crew to change course and head to Dominica instead of Cuba. It’s suspected that Choksi panicked about something, possibly fear that Indian agencies were onto the Cuba plan, or distrust of his handlers. 

He knew he couldn’t go back to Antigua (his disappearance was already reported), so Dominica became a convenient drop-off. The boat arrived off Dominica the night of May 24, and Choksi was put ashore on a beach near Roseau. Remarkably, Choksi had the crew call Dominica’s police (using Choksi’s own satellite phone) with a tip about a “suspicious man” on the beach. In other words, Choksi deliberately alerted authorities to “find” him. This was likely part of his improvised plan: by being found and claiming kidnapping, he hoped to avoid being deported straight to India and instead be sent back to Antigua (which is exactly what happened after a legal tussle). The Dominican police did find and detain him on May 25 for illegal entry, but his quick filing of a habeas corpus petition alleging abduction threw a wrench in any immediate deportation.

This chain of events, essentially a failed escape that Choksi reframed as a kidnapping, is backed by considerable evidence. Rijock’s findings are detailed and based on leaked official documents. Even Antigua’s Prime Minister Browne alluded to this when he noted the lack of kidnapping evidence and suggested Choksi concocted a story to beat the case. 

Other media investigations have reached similar conclusions. A Caribbean news outlet that examined the case with access to regional law enforcement sources concluded plainly that “Mehul Choksi was not abducted; it was a very well-planned scheme to escape extradition”. Choksi “engaged a vessel with crew to transport him to a safe house set up in Cuba” and only when the plan fell apart did he “immediately create another master plan to evade detention and entrapped travellers into his story”. 

Choksi’s contacts and resources would have enabled him to plot such a move, and indeed as early as 2019 there were whispers that he had a “plan B” to bolt from Antigua if legal pressure mounted. It appears those whispers were true. 

The Particulars of Claim he filed in London ignore critical details: the ease of filing a suit without proof, the expiration of the limitation period, the absence of UK jurisdiction, and above all the contradictions and alternative evidence that undermine the kidnapping tale.

Choksi’s UK lawsuit appears to be not much more than a delaying tactic, a way to entangle the Indian government in years of overseas litigation (as his own lawyers boast, the process could take “three to four years” through appeals), buying him time and perhaps sympathy. It is telling that his claim in London was filed at the last minute and is predicated on jurisdictional creativity. 

The broader context cannot be ignored: Mehul Choksi is wanted for a massive fraud in India, and his primary goal for the past five years has been to avoid facing trial there.