India, Aug. 13 -- Purvi Modi, sister of fugitive diamond trader Nirav Modi, may have to face the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in person in the Rs.6,498-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case after a special court rejected her request to have her statements recorded through video conferencing. The court said her physical presence was necessary for detailed questioning and confrontation with the "voluminous" documents, accounts and transactions involved in the case.

Special CBI judge SK Karhale also noted that Purvi, a Belgian national and a proposed accused in the case, had failed to respond to a notice issued by the investigating officer in June 2022. This, the court said, prima facie showed that she had not cooperated with...