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“News of 22 deaths baseless,” says Dr Arinjay Jain, owner of Agra’s Paras Hospital refuting claims of deaths due to ‘mock drill’

OpIndia Staff
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“News of 22 deaths baseless,” says Dr Arinjay Jain, owner of Agra’s Paras Hospital refuting claims of deaths due to ‘mock drill’

The Uttar Pradesh government has released an order to seal Paras Hospital in Agra after an old video of the proprietor admitting to having snapped the oxygen supply to critical patients on the 26th of April went viral on social media. However, in a latest interview to news agency ANI, Dr Arinjay Jain owner of the Paras Hospital has refuted all claims.

Reports had suggested that 22 patients had lost their lives due to a ‘mock drill’ conducted by the hospital to ascertain which patient is in actual need of oxygen. The hospital authorities, however, suggest that the news of deaths are baseless.

“There was mock drill. We conducted a clinical assessment to check how we can maintain a patient at minimum level of oxygen. News of 22 deaths are baseless,” informed Dr Arinjay Jain. 

In the video tweeted by Livehindustan on May 7, the owner of Paras Hospital could be heard telling some people that the drill was conducted because of an acute shortage of oxygen and the patients’ family members were not ready to discharge their patients despite multiple requests.

Agra DM issues clarification

Prabhu N Singh the DM of Agra city informed that the hospital faced no shortage of oxygen on April 28, the day the viral video was shot.

“Agra is a small city. There would an outcry if 22 patients die at a hospital. No patients died due to oxygen shortage that day,” informed DM on the Paras Hospital matter.

“In the video, he said there was no oxygen production at Modinagar plant, which is not true. He has been booked under epidemic act & Section 188 of IPC because such talks create fear among public,” Singh added. 

Patients being admitted to other hospitals

According to reports, all the 55 patients currently being treated at the Paras Hospital have been asked to shift to another hospital. Once the process is over, the hospital will be sealed by the authorities.

Families of patients struggle to shift patients

An attendant of a patient admitted to Paras Hospital informed, “Our patient was admitted in Hospital’s ICU 2 days ago. He’s on oxygen support. Hospital administration has handed over patient’s file & asked to take the patient to another hospital.” She said she does not know where to take the patient now.

Lal Kumar Chouhan whose patient was admitted to the hospital 15 days ago revealed that there was no improvement in the patient’s condition and now they have been asked to admit the patient elsewhere. 

“My father had a surgery yesterday & he’s yet to be healed. In this critical condition, where do I take him? I urge the administration to give us some time,” informed another attendant. 

State authorities assured action against Paras Hospital if video is confirmed to be genuine

When asked, the chief medical officer of the Agra district, Dr RC Pandey, had said that they have taken cognisance of the video and a committee has been constituted to investigate the issue.

UP Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh had also confirmed receiving the complaint and had assured that the state administration would look into the video and take necessary action against the hospital if the video is confirmed to be genuine.

Baba Ka Dhaba owner shuts down his restaurant and goes back to running his stall. Here is what happened

Jhankar Mohta
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Baba Ka Dhaba owner shuts down his restaurant and goes back to running his stall. Here is what happened

80-year-old Kanta Prasad, popularly known as Baba from ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’ food stall, has shut down his restaurant and is now back to running his food stall. However, he says that he is happy to do so.

Last year, everyone witnessed how a humble 80-year-old Kanta Prasad of ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’ made a fresh beginning after people from all over Delhi came out in huge number to provided help and support to the octogenarian roadside shanty owner. Few months later, he started his own restaurant in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, where he served Indian and Chinese cuisines.

Recently, when word of him quitting his restaurant and returning to his old roadside eatery in Delhi started circulating, numerous media outlets reported that Kanta Prasad had lost all his money on the endeavour and was back to square one.

Report by Times Now published on May 8
Hindustan Times report published on May 8

However, when OpIndia got in touch with Kanta Prasad, he confirmed that he still has a significant sum of money raised by the public intact with him. He claims that he was able to get over his over financial woes due to the help and support he received from the people of Delhi.

Kanta Prasad speaks to OpIndia

He further adds that it is because of the love and support of the public and the financial help that came through, he has been able to build a house for himself and is being able to run his roadside eatery successfully.

“My financial condition is still very stable. The money I received from the public is safe with me. More than my children, I am aware that the donation I got would safeguard my future. I have kept it safely, remarked Kanta Prasad.

Putting to rest rumours that his new business shut due to the lack of funds, Prasad said that he shut it not because he was out of funds but because the per-day cost he was incurring to run that restaurant was far more than what that venture was paying back to him.

“My operating expenses were Rs 1 lakh per month, and I was getting back not more than Rs 1000/1500 per day. So I decided to shut it”, said Kanta Prasad furthering that he has come back to operate his old roadside eatery because he likes to work, not because he is out of funds, as many media houses have claimed.

When asked about the adverse impact the Covid lockdown has had on his business, he said that because of the immense love and support of the public, his dhaba is doing very well. Despite the covid restrictions being in place, he said he has been getting regular customers at his dhaba and there are no financial problems he is facing as such.

Baba Ka Dhaba gained internet popularity last year after a food vlogger Gaurav Wasan posted a video where he was seen crying over financial woes amid lockdown that was imposed to curb Chinese coronavirus. After his video went viral, support and love poured in from all over Delhi and people flocked his little ‘dhaba’ where he served ‘matar paneer’ and rotis. 

Dear Robert Vadra, this is how you can check which centres are giving vaccines for free, stop spreading vaccine hesitancy

Jinit Jain
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Dear Robert Vadra, this is how you can check which centres are giving vaccines for free, stop spreading vaccine hesitancy

A day after PM Modi slammed state governments for their bungled handling of COVID-19 vaccination and took control of their procurement and distribution, the son-in-law of the Gandhi family, Robert Vadra, came up with a ludicrous argument to oppose the move. However, in doing so, he ended up promoting vaccine hesitancy and stoking fears about taking vaccines.

“People don’t know which centre is giving free vaccines. If you are saying that there are free vaccines available, why are you allowing 25% of private hospitals to charge a certain amount? People have no knowledge about vaccine and its complications,” a tweet posted by ANI quoted Robert Vadra as saying.

Earlier yesterday, Rahul Gandhi had posted a mindless tweet to criticise the centre’s new vaccine policy after PM Modi announced yesterday that the centre would buy 75 per cent of the total production of the vaccine producers and provide to the states free of cost, and 25 per cent vaccination that was with states would now be undertaken by the Centre. He also said that the system of 25 per cent vaccines being procured directly by the private hospitals will continue.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “One simple question – If vaccines are free for all, why should private hospitals charge for them.”

It appears that members of the Gandhi family have decided in advance that they are going to oppose PM Modi, even if their opposition makes no sense at all and could potentially result in promoting vaccine hesitancy. Vadra says people don’t know which centres are giving free vaccine. However, it appears that it is not the people but Vadra himself who is confused about India’s vaccination programme. A cursory glance at India’s CoWin platform would have made him understand where to look for free or paid vaccines.

Here’s how the webpage of the CoWin platform looks like after the user signs in.

Source: https://www.cowin.gov.in/home

The user can register himself/herself and search for vaccination centres through either PIN Code or by the district. Once necessary details are typed in, the portal throws up a list of vaccination centres in the area mentioned. The list can be filtered with the help of various such options such as vaccination group, different vaccines available and paid/free options.

If a user wants to opt for a free vaccine, he/she can choose the “free” option in the list. And for those who want to have paid vaccination, they can select “Paid” and search for hospital centres that are providing paid vaccines in the selected area.

Instead of blurting out inanities on vaccines, Mr Vadra should sign up on the CoWin platform like millions of lesser mortals with no ‘Gandhi tag’ are doing to book their vaccine slots. Additionally, the information about free and paid vaccines, along with different types of vaccines available in India could also be received at nearby community health centres.

Another problematic statement made by Mr Vadra was regarding the private hospitals being allowed to charge for vaccines. In fact, the question asked by Mr Vadra was patently wrong. He asked why the centre is allowing 25 per cent of private hospitals to charge for the vaccines. But this is not the case. The centre is not allowing 25 per cent of the private hospitals to charge for vaccines. They have allowed 25 per cent of the vaccine developed by the manufacturers to be sold to private hospitals, who could then charge for the vaccines, with an upper cap of service charge fixed at Rs 150 per dose.

Giving the benefit of doubt to Mr Vadra, it could be assumed that he was asking the same question which was asked by Rahul Gandhi yesterday. It is worth noting that their objections to private hospitals being allowed to charge charging for vaccines is profoundly misplaced. Mr Gandhi and Mr Vadra here forget that vaccines administered by private hospitals will be bought by the hospital managements from the suppliers/ manufacturers directly and not from the central government. Citizens who do not want to get a free jab at government centres can happily visit private hospitals to get paid vaccination.

Besides, big corporate organisations, private companies, housing societies, and other entities, who are planning to get their employees/members vaccinated, could take advantage of the services rendered by these private hospitals and get them to set up vaccination camps inside their respective premises to expedite the vaccination. This would be done at the comfort of the organisations, societies and private firms, who are ready to pay for convenience.

However, for the Gandhi family members, who are pioneers of freebie politics in the country, allowing private companies to charge for vaccines in lieu of offering services would be beyond their grasp.

Furthermore, Vadra also promoted vaccine hesitancy by alleging that people are still “unaware” of the vaccines and the “complications” arising out of them. For weeks, doctors, scientists, infectious disease experts across the world are repeating it ad nauseam that the only way of defeating the coronavirus is through vaccination. Yet, Mr Vadra sought to fuel doubts regarding vaccines by raising aspersions on them.

Already, India’s vaccination drive is facing roadblocks due to the widespread vaccine hesitancy, especially prevalent in rural India. Therefore, when members of the Nehru-Gandhi family make remarks that encourage vaccine hesitancy, it only adds to the already existing chaos. Perhaps this is what they actually want so that India’s vaccination drive is derailed, and they can lay the blame for it on their bete noire— PM Modi.

Congress Minority Dept expresses gratitude to Rahul Gandhi for following on Twitter days after purging his follow list

OpIndia Staff
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Congress Minority Dept expresses gratitude to Rahul Gandhi for following on Twitter days after purging his follow list

The Congress Minority Department took to Twitter on Tuesday to express its elation at being followed back by none other than its party senior leader Rahul Gandhi. The tweet in Hindi roughly translates to: “It is a matter of pride for the entire Minority Department that today our Twitter handle got a follow back from @RahulGandhi. Now the department will be directly under the supervision of Rahul Gandhi ji and this will make the office-bearers more responsible”.

The Congress Minority Department was ecstatic when the Gandhi scion chose to follow their Twitter account. They posted a screenshot of Rahul Gandhi responding to them on Twitter, along with a note praising the former party president for his kindness.

No sooner did Rahul Gandhi decide to follow back the party’s minority department, than his sister and the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee in charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi also followed suit.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi unfollowed about 63 people on Twitter

This decision to follow back his own party’s Minority Department’s Twitter handle comes a week after Rahul Gandhi decided to unfollow 63 accounts on Twitter.

Of these, at least two of them have been known for peddling Congress propaganda.

Pratik Sinha, co-founder of the propaganda website Alt News, was one of the accounts Gandhi unfollowed. The same portal recently came up with an unconvincing defense to give the Congress party a clean chit and extricate it from the toolkit debacle.

Though it’s unclear what went wrong for the Gandhi scion to discontinue following not only the co-founder of the portal that invariably ends up acting as an outpost of the Congress party, loyally peddling its agenda but also his other loyalists like senior journalists Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt, his close aide Nikhil Alva, other staff members, as well as a slew of reporters covering the Congress, to name a few.

Sanjukta Basu explains Rahul Gandhi’s unfollow strategy on Twitter

While many Congress leaders had come up with an explanation that Gandhi’s Twitter account is being purged, resulting in many accounts being unfollowed, Congress mouthpiece National Herald Consulting Editor Sanjukta Basu came up with a timeless classic.

Despite being unfollowed by Rahul Gandhi herself, the towering intellectual of the Congress-left ecosystem didn’t see it as some kind of insult meted out to her. She instead went on to explain how this move was a part of a well planned strategy.

Meanwhile, Aaj Tak journalist Panini Anand explained how it does not matter who all Rahul Gandhi unfollows on Twitter, it is important he follows his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, the constitution of India and the ‘Idea of India’, in that order.

Rajasthan: 5-year-old girl dies due to dehydration in Jalore district, BJP lashes out at ruling govt for misplaced priorities

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: 5-year-old girl dies due to dehydration in Jalore district, BJP lashes out at ruling govt for misplaced priorities

With temperatures soaring in the state of Rajasthan, a 5-year-old girl who had set out to go to another village on foot along with her grandmother lost her life due to dehydration in the Jalore district of Rajasthan. 

In a distressing incident on Sunday, a shepherd found an old lady and a girl child lying unconscious on the road and informed the village head immediately. By the time a team of police arrived, the 5-year-old girl had lost her life due to dehydration while the old lady was saved due to light rains. 

Lost in the dunes

As per reports, Sukhidevi, a resident of Doongri village had set out on foot with her granddaughter on Sunday to meet her sister residing in another village. As the weather was cool she took the decision of walking to the village, however, lost her way in the sand dunes.

As the temperature began to soar in the afternoon, the lady, as well as the young girl, fell unconscious as they could find no source of water after covering a distance of just ten to twelve kilometers from the village.

The lady has been shifted to a hospital for treatment, whereas, the young girl’s body was handed over to her relatives after conducting a post-mortem.

BJP leader lashes out at Rajasthan govt 

OpIndia reached out to Rajasthan BJP leader Vijay Singh Bainsla who lashed out at the Congress-led ruling government for misplaced priorities. 

“The government needs to be more sensitive towards what is important and get their priorities right. If they are going to spend 300+ crores to make big buildings with 5-star facilities to house only the MLAs while the population of Rajasthan is dying because of thirst, there is a lack of correct priority and direction in the government,” said Bainsla. 

This throws light on how the water crisis in the state of Rajasthan still prevails even a few kilometers away from a village.

Swapna Patker, who accused Sanjay Raut of harassment and torture, taken to police station without written summons, says lawyer

OpIndia Staff
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Swapna Patker, who accused Sanjay Raut of harassment and torture, taken to police station without written summons, says lawyer

Psychologist Dr Swapna Patker, who had filed a stalking case in Bombay HC against Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, has been taken to Bandra Police station by police without any written summons, her advocate Abha Singh has said. Singh also alleged that she was not provided with an FIR copy before cops took her to the police station.

The development was shared by a Twitter user named Varun Singh, who quoted Patker’s lawyer and shared screenshots of his chat with her to allege that Bandra police officials have taken Patker along with them. A few hours back, advocate Singh also took to Twitter to inform that she is rushing to the Bandra Police station after her client was taken into custody for filing a case of harassment against the leader of one of the parties ruling Maharashtra.

“Rushing to Bandra West Police Station. Swapna Patkar who had filed a stalking case in Bombay High Court bears the brunt.3 Cops including PI Padmakar Devre have come to her house and taken her to the police station without any written summons. Copy of FIR not given @supriyasule,” Singh tweeted.

Dr Swapna Patker accuses Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut of 8 years of harassment, torture, vulgar video calls, character assassination and abuse

Earlier in April 2021, Dr Swapna Patker wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which she alleged that she is being harassed, tortured and abused by Shiv Sena MP and Editor of Saamana, Sanjay Raut, since the past eight years.

Dr Swapna informed OpIndia that she used to write columns for Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece publication Saamna from 2009-2014 and also took care of some of Sanjay Raut’s Rajya Sabha work. However, when she decided to get back to her profession from her passion, Dr Swapna alleged that Sanjay Raut was not happy with her decision and started to heckle, harass and torture her. 

Detailing her ordeal in a two-page letter to the Prime Minister which is pinned on her Twitter profile, Dr Swapna appealed for justice and security. Appealing that her matter be considered at the earliest, she said her complaints were ignored by the police, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, ex-Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and other officials of Maharashtra as the perpetrator has a stronghold in the political party. Dr Swapna claimed that she also met NCP leader Supriya Sule to narrate her ordeal, but that just made matters worse for her.

Dr Swapna in her letter stated that she had been attacked physically in 2013, multiple false cases have been filed against her, her family and friends have been tortured for the past eight years yet no action has been taken by the police department on any of her complaints. She alleged that her relatives were once called and assaulted on the third floor of Shiv Sena Bhavan.

The owner of Dream & Happiness Wellness Centre, Dr Swapna also alleged that Raut had made multiple attempts to malign her character, defame her and wreck her professional life. She says that she was threatened with being slapped with a prostitution case. She says that she has been the victim of vulgar abuses over phone calls and has also received vulgar video calls.

Delhi resident files complaint against Instagram for hurting Hindu sentiments with alcohol-holding God Shiva sticker

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi resident files complaint against Instagram for hurting Hindu sentiments with alcohol-holding God Shiva sticker

Delhi resident Manish Singh has filed a complaint against social media platform Instagram for showing God Shiva in an objectionable manner in one of its stickers. The complainant has alleged that the sticker, which shows God Shiva with alcohol in one hand and a mobile phone on the other, hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus.

Instagram
The controversial sticker of God Shiva

The complainant mentions that God Shiva is venerated by millions and millions of Hindus and accuses Instagram officials of committing serious offences. The sticker was in a Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). Lord Shiva is also seen winking in the sticker.

Instagram
The complaint against Instagram

The complainant alleges that the “accused is deliberately and intentionally hurting the feeling and sentiments of the millions and millions of Hindus, including the complainant, by portraying the Supreme God, Lord Shiva, in such a state.”

The complainant also says that the sticker has been introduced with the “sole intention of inciting the followers of the Hindu community and in the process promote disharmony, hatred and enmity, further, the conduct of the accused persons may result in extreme provocation of the followers of the Hindu community and this may result into breach of peace.”

The complaint against Instagram

Consequently, the complainant has demanded that a criminal case be registered against the CEO of Instagram and other officials under sections 153 and 295A of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.

Watch: French President Emmanuel Macron slapped in the face by man shouting ‘down with Macronia’

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: French President Emmanuel Macron slapped in the face by man shouting ‘down with Macronia’

French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face during a walkabout session with a crowd in the Drome region in southeastern France. In a video of the incident that has now gone viral on the internet, Mr Macron could be seen walking up to a barrier where a man slaps him across his face after shaking hands with him.

As Mr Macron is slapped, the words “Down with Macron-ism” could be heard in the background. In the video that is circulating on social media websites, a man wearing a green T-Shirt, with glasses and a face mask, shouted “Down with Macronia” (“A Bas La Macronie”) and then delivered a slap to Macron’s face.

Soon after being attacked, the retinue of officers flanking the French President got hold of the man. Following the incident, the president was quickly escorted away from the spot.

According to BFM TV and RMC radio, two people have been arrested in connection with the case.

Mr Emmanuel Macron was on a visit to the Drome region in south-eastern France, where he met restaurateurs and students to talk about how life is returning to normal after the COVID-19 epidemic.

China warns the United States against establishing trade deals, diplomatic ties with Taiwan: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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China warns the United States against establishing trade deals, diplomatic ties with Taiwan: Read details

On Tuesday (June 8), the Chinese Communist government lodged a diplomatic protest against the United States and warned it against forging trade deal and bilateral ties with the island nation. The development comes at the backdrop of 3 US senators’ visit to Taiwan in a military aircraft, US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III freighter, for vaccine donation on Monday.

As part of its expansionist policy, China considers Taiwan as a part of its own territory. Therefore, it has discouraged diplomatic ties between the island nation and other countries. The three US senators, namely, Tammy Duckworth, Dan Sullivan, and Christopher Coons, had visited Taiwan’s capital Taipei to announce that they will donate 7.5 lac Coronavirus vaccine doses to the country. During a Congressional hearing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also emphasised that talks were underway about a possible trade deal.

“I know we are engaged in conversations with Taiwan, or soon will be, on some kind of framework agreement,” Blinken had said. He further added, “We are committed to the proposition that Taiwan must have the means to defend itself, and that is consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act. We’ve continued to provide significant equipment and sales to Taiwan for that purpose. We have real concerns about the increased aggression that the government in Beijing has shown towards Taiwan.”

Senator Tammy Duckworth, who visited Taipei, had remarked, “It was critical to the United States that Taiwan be included in the first group to receive vaccines because we recognise your urgent need and we value this partnership.” Meanwhile, the island nation of Taiwan has blamed China for isolating it globally and creating hindrances in the procurement of Coronavirus vaccines, amidst rising cases. The attempts to forge a diplomatic deal with Taiwan, coupled with the use of a military carrier by the US, had rattled the Communist regime of China.

China warns US against establishing trade deals

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian warned the US to handle the ‘Taiwan issue’ cautiously, cease official exchanges and stop sending wrong signals to ‘Taiwan Independence forces.’ Another spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, claimed that the visit of the US senators ‘gravely violated’ 3 China-US joint communique and one-China policy. He has asked the US to maintain the status quo to avoid causing ‘serious damage’ to their bilateral ties and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Despite Chinese aggression, the US remains a strong ally of Taiwan and its largest arms supplier.

‘Mehul Choksi introduced himself as Raj, gifted me fake diamonds’: Alleged girlfriend Barbara Jabarica

OpIndia Staff
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‘Mehul Choksi introduced himself as Raj, gifted me fake diamonds’: Alleged girlfriend Barbara Jabarica

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.

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.

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