Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi‘s rumoured girlfriend Barbara Jarabica said that she did not have any role in the Choksi’s abduction and it was he who wooed her with diamonds that turned out to be fake. Choksi had claimed that he was abducted from Antigua and Barbuda and transported to Dominica.

She said that she knew Choksi since last August and met him in Jolly Harbour, Antigua and Barbuda.

“He introduced himself as Raj. Between August to April he was always texting me but between August to April, I replied to him once a month,” she said.

Clarifying about the nature of the relationship that she shared with Choksi, Barbara said, “I’d like to clarify, I made this clear in a few interviews that I was not his girlfriend & he’s not my sugar daddy or anything like that. I’ve my own income & business. I don’t need his cash or support, hotel booking, fake jewellery or anything like that.”

“He also gifted me diamond rings and bracelets that turned out to be fake,” India Today quoted Jarabica as saying.

The Indian diamantaire’s wife Priti had alleged that Jarabica joined hands with the Indian agents and planned to lure Choksi out of Antigua. She also claimed that he was physically tortured on the yacht en route to Dominica.

Discrediting the spy-ring rumour, Jarabica said, “No one contacted me. There was no sign of abduction and I said in other interviews, for people who know Jolly Harbour area, it’s impossible to kidnap anyone there, in the safest place, family area.”

Hinting that Choksi’s final destination was not the Caribbean islands and someplace else, Barabara said he often spoke about Cuba.

“He (Mehul Choksi) never used a word like escape. But he did ask me twice if I have ever been to Cuba. He also told me that next time we may meet in Cuba. He never explained his escaping plan but I’m certain, I don’t think that Dominica was his final destination.”

“But if you ask my opinion, I can be more and more certain that Cuba could have been his (Mehul Choksi) final destination & somehow he wanted to stop by in Dominica maybe,” she added

Currently, India is making continuous efforts to bring back Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi to India.

Both had fled India in January 2018, weeks before the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam involving Rs 13,500 crore that rocked the Indian banking industry.

India is making efforts to deport Choksi from Antigua and extradite Nirav Modi from London. The Indian government is also trying to bring back another fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya from London.