Woman who Mehul Choksi met in 2020 laid trap, says wife

Beleaguered diamond trader, Mehul Choksi's wife has pointed to the role of a mysterious woman behind the mess her fugitive husband has landed in, caught between authorities in Dominica, Antigua and India.

As a Caribbean court ordered Choksi to face charges of illegally entering Dominica from Antigua, Priti made a sensational claim on Thursday. She told TOI: “This woman, Barbara, laid a trap to bring him back to India. She entered our lives in August 2020 after she rented an accommodation opposite our house in Antigua. She led Mehul away from Antigua.”

Priti claimed the boat which brought Choksi to Dominica is run by one Cobra Tours. She said among its crew were two “Punjabi men, she added.


She said, “On Sunday, May 23, Mehul left home in a car to have dinner with Barbara. I don’t know what her real name is. Barabara Joseph, Barabara Jesseick or Barbara C? She stayed in the apartment next to ours intermittently. She had first met us last year between August 2-7.”

Priti said, “Barbara had asked Mehul to pick her up from her residence... Minutes later, eight to 10 men barged in. He was whisked away.”

“Mehul told me there were two men of Indian origin on the boat. Their names were Gurjit and Gurmit. One of them said he works in Punjabi videos...another man called Vivek would bring food.” Asked if she or Choksi had any plans to return to India, cooperate with Indian agencies like CBI or ED, Priti refused to answer.