Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 14 (ANI): Former Managing Director of Gitanjali Gems, Santosh Srivastava, has welcomed the fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi's arrest in Belgium.

Speaking to ANI on Monday, Srivastava urged the government to ensure Choksi's swift extradition and complete recovery of the defrauded funds.

'It's great news that Mehul Choksi has been arrested in Belgium. As a whistle-blower in this case, who risked my life to try and expose it, I hope that the government brings him back to the country as soon as possible. Every bit of the money involved should be recovered,' he said.

Choksi was arrested in Belgium on Saturday after local authorities confirmed his presence in the country. Sources said that preparations were being made for his extradition to India. However, Choksi has started preparing for a legal battle, with lawyers looking to secure bail.

His lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, said on Monday that they will be filing an appeal to release the businessman from custody, citing his ill health and ongoing cancer treatments.

'My client, Mehul Choksi, has been arrested in Belgium, and at the moment, he is in custody. We will be starting the process of filing an appeal against this, and then, as a process of appeal, we will be requesting that he be pulled out of prison. The major ground for the plea is his ill health and that he is undergoing cancer treatment, and ofcourse, he is not a flight risk at all,' Choksi's lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, told ANI in Delhi.

The 65-year-old fugitive diamond merchant who left India on January 2, 2018, is wanted by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly defrauding the PNB of Rs 13,850 crore. His nephew, Nirav Modi, was also involved with him in the fraud.

After the arrest, Punjab National Bank Scam whistle-blower Hariprasad SV said that it would be very difficult for India to get Choksi back home as he will employ the best lawyers in Europe to avoid the process.

Speaking to ANI, Hariprasad recalled the time when Choksi succeeded in evading the process when he was caught in Dominica.

'Extradition is not an easy task. Choksi's wallet is full, and he will employ the best lawyers in Europe to avoid the process like what Vijay Maliya has been doing. I don't think it is going to be easy for India to get him back,' he said. (ANI)