Mehul Choksi's Lawyer Vijay Aggarwal Arrested in London, Faces Sexual Assault Charges

London: Indian criminal lawyer Vijay Aggarwal, who represents fugitive diamond businessman Mehul Choksi, has been arrested in London and is in custody facing charges of committing four acts of sexual assault against two women. His personal assistant Manpreet Kaur is also in custody, accused of encouraging two crimes to be committed.

When was Vijay Aggarwal arrested?

Both were arrested on August 11, after the Met police were tipped off about sexual assaults at 29 Brick Street, Mayfair, both of whom were staying at a serviced luxury ambassadorial town house.

They were remanded in custody and charged on August 13 when they appeared together at Westminster magistrates’ court.

What are the charges?

Aggarwal is charged with four counts of sexual assault against two women and is also accused of committing three counts of sexual assault on a woman contrary to Sec 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 on the property on August 9, when the woman did not agree to the touching being sexual and/or Aggarwal intended to touch her. He is also charged in a second count of the same crime on May 26.

Manpreet Kaur is accused of posting fake job advertisements and thereafter on May 26 and August 9 introducing the two women to Vijay Aggarwal and inviting them to an address for a sexual assault offence.

What about other accused?

Two other people, a 23-year-old male and a 43-year-old female, who were arrested in connection with the investigation on August 11 have been granted bail pending further enquiries.

Both of the women who reported the sexual assaults are still being supported by specialist officers.

What about Mehul Choksi's case?

Aggarwal is handling Choksi's extradition case in Antwerp, Belgium, where Choksi is jailed on an extradition warrant issued by India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) during his arrest in April 2025.

Before the Punjab National Bank, a fraud was disclosed, Choksi, the uncle of Nirav Modi, had fled India in January 2018 and obtained citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda. He is facing charges with Nirav and others for the defaulter of Rs 13,500 crore from PNB, which he has denied.