New Delhi: Criminal lawyer Vijay Aggarwal, whose clients include fugitive economic offenders Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi, has been arrested in London on charges of sexual assault, the Metropolitian Police said Thursday.
“On Tuesday, 11 August officers attended a property in Brick Street, Mayfair in connection with reports of sexual assaults at the address. A 57-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman were arrested in connection with the incidents, which are reported to have occurred on Tuesday, 26 May and Sunday, 9 August,” the Metropolitan Police told ThePrint.
Confirming Aggarwal as the 57-year-old man, the Metropolitan Police identified the 41-year-old woman as Manpreet Kaur. Aggarwal, it said, has been charged with “four counts of sexual assault” and Kaur with “two counts of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an either way offence, namely sexual assault”.
Additionally, Metropolitan Police also said that two other individuals, a 23-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman, who were also arrested Tuesday (11 August) in connection with the investigation have been “bailed pending further enquiries”.
Referring to Aggarwal and Kaur, the Metropolitan Police said both were charged on 13 August, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later that day and were remanded in custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 10 September. “Two women who reported the sexual assaults continue to be supported by specialist officers,” it added.
ThePrint reached Vijay Aggarwal’s family for comment via text and phone calls but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Since 2000, Aggarwal has been actively involved in criminal litigation, representing clients in a multitude of high-profile cases—from the 2G spectrum case to the ICICI-Videocon case, AgustaWestland case, National Herald case and the PNB fraud case, among others.
His area of practice is known to be criminal law, money laundering (PMLA), economic offences, and extradition. Born in 1969 in Delhi, Aggarwal completed his BCom from Hansraj College, before obtaining an LLB and securing ICWA (now CMA, Cost and Management Accounting) and FCA (Fellow Chartered Accountant) certifications.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)