UK Police arrest Mehul Choksi’s lawyer Vijay Aggarwal with large amount of cash

London: High-profile Indian criminal lawyer Vijay Aggarwal was detained in Mayfair on Tuesday. Reportedly, a large amount of cash was allegedly found at his London residence during a police raid.

Aggarwal is known for representing infamous Indian fugitive Mehul Choksi, who took safe haven in Antigua and Barbuda. His recent detention has also renewed interest in Choksi’s network in the United Kingdom and the people working closely with him.

Notably, Vijay Aggarwal and Michael Polak, another renowned UK-based lawyer, represented Mehul Choksi in his legal proceedings concerning the whopping USD 2 billion scam and his mysterious disappearance in 2021. Polak is the same person who is suspected of representing the family of Avtar Singh Khanda, who is a prominent pro-Khalistan activist who died in Birmingham in 2023. He was also associated with the Khalistan separatist movement across the United Kingdom and Canada.

Sources say Vijay Aggarwal has been paying Michael Polak’s fees on Mehul Choksi's behalf. Authorities are further investigating links between Mehul Choksi and his funding of the pro-Khalistan movement. Reportedly, he has been funding the members of the Khalistan movement through a network managed by Aggarwal and Polak.

If such financial links are substantiated, they could pose a serious risk to India’s national security and sovereignty.

Vijay Aggarwal is now under investigation, as investigators also found large sums of cash in his possession. Reportedly, he was also working in the United Kingdom without immigration permits, which further breached the rules.

Authorities learned of the matter after the landlord of the Mayfair property complained in May. Following the complaint, British immigration officials reportedly began looking into Aggarwal’s activities in the country.