The case of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi is getting murkier every day. Days after it was reported that Mehul Choksi was honey-trapped and abducted with the help of a mystery woman, Barbara Jabarica, the woman in question, revealed in an interview with the Times Now that she did not go to Dominica with him.
Jabarica further added that Mehul was planning to use her as an alibi in case things went wrong for him.
“I have not gone to Dominica with Mehul Choksi,” Barbara Jabarica said.
Mega #Exclusive | I haven’t gone to Dominica with Mehul Choksi: Barbara Jabarica (alleged mystery woman), tells TIMES NOW. | #ChoksiBarbaraTellAll pic.twitter.com/tKxYnNP4Ef
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) June 8, 2021
Clearing the air on her relationship status with Mehul, Barbara said she did not share anything beyond friendship with the fugitive diamantaire. The woman, who was reportedly claimed to have honey trapped Choksi into arrest, also revealed that Mehul had given her a bracelet in April and a ring in May, saying it’s made of diamond. Barbara, however, said that she knew it was a fake. The woman further said that Mehul’s wife was probably unaware of their numerous rendezvous.
In an interview with India Today, Jabarica has revealed that Choksi had introduced himself as ‘Raj’ and had even gifted her fake diamond jewellery.
In a freewheeling interview with Times Now, Barbara also split beans about Mehul Choksi’s plans. She said Mehul asked her if she had been to Cuba and offered to book a flight ticket for her. It is then that she realised that Mehul might be mulling over moving to Cuba.
The woman also accused Mehul of using her as a backup plan and as an alibi if things went south for the fugitive diamantaire. “I think Mehul Choksi considered me as a backup plan and an alibi because I was a tourist,” Barbara said.
Earlier reports suggested Mehul Choksi was planning to settle in Cuba
The revelations made by Barbara jibes with the reports that said that Mehul Choksi might have staged his own abduction. Earlier yesterday, a CNN-News18 report claimed that Choksi had planned his own abduction in connivance with his agent, who purportedly helped him escape from Antigua and Barbuda.
According to the initial probe, the man had planned to take Choksi to Cuba through the sea route, however, the plan was foiled after he was nabbed in Dominica.
Meanwhile, Choksi’s close friend Govin in Antigua revealed that the fugitive holds another citizenship of a Caribbean country, apart from Antigua and Barbuda and exposed his plan to leave Antigua and settle in Cuba.
Mehul Choksi accuses Barbara of being a part of team that kidnapped him
A couple of days ago, fugitive Mehul Choksi, the uncle of fugitive Nirav Modi, had filed a complaint against Barbara to the Antiguan Police Commissioner. In his complaint, Choksi claimed that he was attacked by 8-10 men when he went to a female friend identified as Barbara Jabarica, his alleged girlfriend. Alleging that she was an integral part of the entire scheme to kidnap him, Choksi claimed she did not attempt to help him while he was being beaten up and placed on small watercraft.
He said, “Over the past year, I have come to be on friendly terms with Barbara Jabarica. She used to originally reside opposite my residential complex in Jolly Harbour but later shifted to the Coco Bay Hotel. She was on friendly terms with my staff and we used to meet and interact regularly, often going for walks in the evenings.” Notably, Choksi’s wife had claimed that he was honey-trapped.
The Mehul Choksi ‘honey trap’ saga
Earlier, reports had claimed that Choksi was honey-trapped by a woman who was possibly in cahoots with a team of men who abducted, tortured and conveyed him to Dominica. A report published in India Today quotes sources close to the fugitive businessmen to claim the woman was part of the team, which was involved in his “abduction, torture and arrest”.
Choksi had gone missing a few days ago from Antigua and Barbuda and was later traced to and arrested in Dominica. The fugitive diamantaire had alleged through his counsel that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour on May 23 and people having links with India were responsible for his abduction.
According to the report, the woman was staying in Antigua and had started meeting Choksi during morning and evening walks. She allegedly befriended Choksi and invited him to come over to her place on May 23. A team was lurking at her residence, waiting for Choksi to turn up. When he did arrive at the woman’s apartment, the group abducted him and spirited him away to Dominica, where he was arrested.
Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi have fled from India after committing a loan fraud of over 13,000 crores.
