India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) has brought Mehul Choksi’s daughter Priyanka Choksi and his brother Chetan Chunnibhai Choksi under investigation as part of its widening probe into the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. The agency is examining their alleged financial links to funds suspected to be connected with the ₹13,000-crore banking fraud and also other financial transactions of Mehul Choksi.
The development follows the filing of a chargesheet against Rohan Choksi, son of Mehul Choksi, in connection with the case. A special court is expected to take cognisance of the matter and move it toward trial proceedings.
The latest scrutiny also comes in the backdrop of a UK court directing Mehul Choksi to deposit £800,000 in connection with ongoing legal proceedings. Investigation sources say the ED is examining whether funds are being mobilised through family members or associates to meet legal expenses and financial obligations abroad.
According to officials familiar with the probe, the agency suspects that funds allegedly controlled by Choksi may have been routed through intermediaries and layered transactions designed to conceal their origin, potentially amounting to money laundering. Investigators are analysing whether such funds are being used to finance his ongoing litigation and related legal affairs.
Sources further claim that the ED is reviewing the broader financial network surrounding the Choksi family, including alleged political connections that may have been leveraged in the past to delay or avoid legal proceedings. The family is using the power and political connections to avoid legal proceedings over the years.
Authorities are examining transaction records, asset holdings, and financial trails as they attempt to determine whether any family members facilitated or benefited from funds allegedly linked to the fraud.
Under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, individuals accused of economic offences involving ₹100 crore or more who evade Indian jurisdiction may be declared fugitives. Once designated, authorities can confiscate properties beyond the direct proceeds of crime, restrict certain legal claims, and expedite asset disposal.
The investigation remains ongoing, and further legal steps are expected in the coming times.
