Can’t return due to CBI seizures: Nirav Modi to agency

NEW DELHI: Fugitive businessman Nirav Modi has written to the CBI to express his inability to face the law in India, saying the central agency, with its seizures, had taken away his fundamental right to defend himself, making him “handicapped” to share any information with the investigators.

Responding to the CBI’s third digital summons sent on his email, Nirav Modi wrote: “As you are aware my office servers have been seized from the Lower Parel office by CBI and thus I am unable to properly exercise my fundamental right to defend myself as per law and (have) been handicapped in a manner so as to disable me from giving any information.”

Nirav, while refusing to come to India, also told CBI that the agency didn’t provide any response to the issues raised by him pertaining to his personal safety and fairness of investigation. In its last email sent on March 13, CBI inspector D Damodaran asked Nirav to come to the Mumbai office of the agency “without fail” as his presence was very much essential for the probe.


His lawyer — Vijay Aggarwal — who represented various high profile accused in Coalgate and 2G scams, told TOI, “CBI, rather than addressing the concerns raised in previous replies, is simply sending repeated notices. My client’s prompt replies clearly establish that he is a not a fugitive as unfortunately branded by some sections of the media.”

An officer of the CBI said on Monday that “Nirav Modi’s replies are nothing but excuses”.