Samir Modi, brother of fugitive businessman and the first chairperson of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Lalit Modi, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Thursday on rape charges. He was arrested at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport upon his return from abroad.
According to the police, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Samir Modi, who is the founder and managing director (MD) of direct-selling company Modicare, on September 10 by a former employee of Godfrey Phillips India. In the FIR, the complainant alleged that Samir Modi had sexually assaulted her repeatedly since 2019.
The FIR was registered under Sections 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Attempt to extort money: Samir Modi's lawyers
However, the industrialist's lawyers have claimed that the FIR is an attempt to extort money from Samir Modi, who is the son of Godfrey Phillips India chairperson Bina Modi.
"Today, Samir Modi was detained at the airport pursuant to LOC request made by PS New Friends Colony. Later, he was arrested on false charges of rape. On production in court, he has been remanded to one day's police custody," said Simran Singh, Samir Modi's lawyer.
"FIR was registered on 10 Sep 2025 based on a complaint by a grown-up lady. She claimed to be in a relationship with Samir Modi since 2019. The complaint is based on false and concocted facts, and the allegations have been made with the ulterior motive of extracting money from Samir Modi," Simran Singh added.
Arrest comes months after acquittal in defamation case
Notably, his arrest comes months after he was acquitted by a Delhi court in a defamation case filed by the independent directors of Godfrey Phillips India.
Samir Modi was himself a director in Godfrey Phillips India until last year. The defamation case was filed against Samir Modi by Nirmala Bagri, Lalit Bhasin and Atul Kumar, who, in their complaint, alleged that the industrialist had tainted their image through some of his remarks.