Antigua and Barbuda police chief Atlee Rodney has denied claims that fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi was "abducted, tortured, and forcibly taken to Dominica." He added that the police have no evidence to back these allegations.
Rodney stated the police have "no information or indication" that Choksi was forced to leave Antigua following his alleged kidnapping. He mentioned that only Mehul Choksi's lawyer has claimed that he was abducted and forcibly taken to Dominica.
"The only assertion we are hearing is from the attorney and Dominica Police have not confirmed it. We have no involvement in his [Mehul Choksi] movement from Antigua to Dominica or wherever he left," Atlee Rodney said.
Rodney's statement came after pictures of Mehul Choksi in police custody with injury marks on his body had surfaced.
The pictures, tweeted by AntiguaNewsRoom, showed bruises on Mehul Choksi's hands, wrist, and left eye which appeared swollen. In one of the images, Choksi can be seen standing behind a gate with iron grilles, similar to a jail cell.
On Friday, a Dominican court heard a habeas corpus plea filed on behalf of Choksi. He is currently being kept in a quarantine facility. The Dominican court has restrained authorities from deporting him to any other country till June 2.
Mahul Choksi is wanted in India for his alleged involvement in the Rs 13,500-crore Punjab National Bank loan fraud case. He was last seen going for dinner in his car in Antigua and Barbuda on May 23. He was later reported missing.
On May 27, the Dominica government confirmed that Choki was "detained" in the country for illegal entry. While Choksi's lawyers have maintained he was abducted.
Also Read: Mehul Choksi's photos from Dominica surface; show him behind bars, with injury marks