Deepak Kulkarni, an associate of diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, was arrested from Calcutta airport on Monday evening in connection with the cheating and money-laundering case.
Kulkarni is said to have been in charge of the Hong Kong operations of Choksi, the diamantaire who fled India soon after his nephew Nirav Modi also did so after allegedly defrauding Punjab National Bank out of Rs 13,000 crore.
Officers of the Enforcement Directorate in Calcutta arrested him on a tip-off from the airport officials as there was a lookout notice against Kulkarni. He apparently arrived in Calcutta from Hong Kong.
Kulkarni was named in the chargesheeted filed by the Mumbai branch of the Enforcement Directorate earlier this year. He had been charged with money-laundering, cheating, breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.
Officers of the Mumbai branch of the Enforcement Directorate are expected to reach Calcutta on Tuesday to take him into custody. After fleeing India, Choksi has taken Antiguan citizenship.
