On January 30, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released the largest yet, and possibly last, tranche of documents from the Epstein files. Spread over 3 million (30 lakh) pages and almost half a million images, these files hold the story of a known sex offender shielded by money and a global power network.
The files have unsettled influential figures across the globe. With each tranche the DoJ releases, the facade crumbles around politicians, billionaires, royalty, and celebrities who orbited Epstein.
Indian names have cropped up too. Among them are prominent figures like businessman Anil Ambani, BJP Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and wellness guru Deepak Chopra.
These interactions are not in direct relation to Epstein’s sexual abuse network. Instead, they speak of his proximity to power, access to which he traded in.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November 2025, mandated that the DoJ release all unclassified records pertaining to the cases against Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, within 30 days.
The files include a vast collection of investigation records, court documents, emails, bank statements, flight logs, and grand jury material gathered over years.
Among these emails are Anil’s insistence on the then potential US ambassador to India, Epstein’s comments claiming Prime Minister Narendra Modi “danced” in Israel for “the benefit of the US president,” and Hardeep’s ‘networking’ efforts.
While the official Indian response was to dismiss the emails as “trashy ruminations,” Hardeep conducted a a press meet where he addressed child sexual assault allegations against Epstein with a “that’s it.”
What is the Epstein case?
Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy American financier. Between 2005 and 2007, accusations surfaced of him sexually abusing multiple underage girls. But Epstein’s lawyers secured him a deal with the US Attorney’s office in 2008.
He got off lightly. All he had to do was accept the two charges of solicitation and register as a sex offender. Even his 18-month sentence was served in a minimum security prison, from which he was allowed to leave for 12 hours a day.
He was released after 13 months.
In 2019, Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges and died by suicide in an FBI prison while awaiting trial.
While high-profile names from the Epstein files make global headlines, we cannot lose sight of the survivors—the girls who were abused and the women who spoke up. The sheer scale of Epstein’s reach demonstrates how institutions can intentionally fail the most vulnerable by protecting men with inordinate power.
Ambani wants to ‘pick’ ambassador
One of the most significant Indian names in the documents is Anil Ambani.
The files show that Epstein and Anil were in regular contact between 2017 and 2019. Epstein was already a known sexual offender after the widely publicised 2008 plea deal.
Communication between the two reveals that Anil positioned himself as a backchannel to the Modi government. However, there is no record to show that he had any official clearance to do so.
On February 23, 2017, Epstein wrote to Anil: “in the email I sent you Ehud Baraks contact details. In my experience, a level above the rest. I personally don’t get near defense business in any form (sic).”
Ehud Barak served as Israel’s prime minister from 1999 to 2001 and then as defence minister from 2007 to 2013.
Later in the same conversation, Anil wrote: “Will need ur guidance on dealing wth white house for india relationship ad defense cooperation (sic).”
Epstein replied: “interesting. remember, what are you willing to GIVE? no ideology needed. tit for tat (sic).”
Anil responded: “Indian market whatever works!”
Epstein said, “i will get some inside baseball for you.”
Epstein then asked Anil to install the Signal messenger app. They did, however, continue conversations on iMessage as well.
On March 9, Anil said, “Hello. Can david petreaus be amb to India? jon huntsman is goin to russia (sic).”
Epstein replied, “I’ll ask. I think unlikely for the moment as leaking is going to get front burner.”
David Petraeus is a retired army general who played key roles in the US’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Epstein went on to share his thoughts on several other issues, such as US-Russia relations and WikiLeaks.
Anil, however, circled back to: “Amb to India is key. For me.”
Epstein: “was tellis your choice?”
Anil: “No. weak person. Ashley tellis. Mixed up wth agencies. Need a strong person like patreaus. To deal wth neighbores pak afghanistan etc .”
Epstein: “tillerson is in nominally in charge of search. donald liked petraus but again pentagon. wary. his use of tradecraft email sticks in their craw (sic).”
Ashley Tellis is a former White House official and is considered an India expert. Eventually, career diplomat Kenneth Juster was chosen as US ambassador to India in November 2017.
The communications do not show if Anil had any authorisation from the Modi government to make such requests.
Then, on March 16, Anil claimed “leadership” in New Delhi would like Epstein’s help for him to meet Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and far-right ideologue Steve Bannon. At the time, Bannon was the White House Chief Strategist.
Anil also claimed ‘leadership’ wanted assistance for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington DC.
Epstein essentially replied that both Kushner and Bannon were too busy.
In another communication, Anil asked, “The white hse announced yday pm modis trip to dc. Can u tell me whn and the dates ? Thanks.”
Epstein replied,“Im told it is a part of israel strategy.”
Anil told him, “Pm visiting israel on 5 6 jul then 7 8 in hamburg for g20 whr he will meet donald. But a separate mtng being planned in dc. Thats what i inquired (sic).”
On March 30, Anil enquired again: “Hello. Any visibility on dates of our pm visit to dc? pm in israel 5 6 july”
In reply, Epstein asked to speak on the phone. It is unclear if they do.
On July 6, 2017, Epstein wrote to an individual known as Jabor Y: “The Indian Prime minisiter modi took advice. and danced and sang in israel for the benefit of the US president.”
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed these emails, terming them “trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal”.
The emails also show Epstein using sexualised language in conversations with Anil and extending invitations to his island. There is no evidence, however, of Anil making such a visit.
‘That was it,’ says Hardeep Singh Puri
Another prominent Indian name to surface is Hardeep Singh Puri, who now serves as India’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Emails show multiple exchanges between Epstein and Hardeep. In September 2014, Epstein introduced Hardeep to LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, describing him as “your man in India”.
Hardeep was a retired diplomat then and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member.
Hoffman replied, “Hardeep: very nice to meet you. Jeffrey has exquisite taste in people (myself excepted).”
Eventually Hardeep and Hoffman met. Hardeep sent a detailed email in November 2014, to both Epstein and Hoffman about investment opportunities in India’s internet sector.
One excerpt read: “By 2018 India will have half a billion subscribers and a very large percent of them will be looking for jobs and enter the market educated in regional languages.”
The documents show Hardeep met Epstein at least thrice at his Manhattan townhouse.
In December 2014, Hardeep wrote to Epstein asking, “Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island. I would like to come across for a chat, apart from giving you some books to excite an interest in India.”
When the Wire asked Hardeep why he used the word ‘exotic’, he said he may merely have repeated an adjective someone else had used.
Little St James in the US Virgin Islands–is the property most closely tied to Epstein. Often simply referred to as Epstein Island, a number of crimes, including rape, are alleged to have happened here.
For instance, one survivor accused Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of raping her on the island. Andrew is King Charles's brother and has now been stripped of his royal titles.
At a press conference held on February 11 at the BJP’s New Delhi headquarters, Hardeep said in a longer response to a question, “Some of them want to know about that … what is that island called?”
He continued: “I don’t want to know it. I didn’t go there, unfortunately for some of them. If I had gone there … there was a plane also, yaar. It had a very interesting name.”
Epstein’s private jet, a Boeing 727, was nicknamed the ‘Lolita Express’. It is believed to have been used extensively for trafficking minor girls. The plane’s moniker is a reference to the 12-year-old character of Lolita, who is abducted and sexually abused in Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel of the same name.
At the press meet, Hardeep also spoke about his time working with the International Peace Institute (IPI) in New York.
“My boss in the IPI, Mr Terje Rød-Larsen, was the person who knew this particular infamous person, Mr Epstein. It was as part of a delegation of the IPI or ICM that I met Mr Epstein on a few occasions,” Hardeep said in the press meet.
Terje Rød-Larsen, who is also mentioned in the Epstein files, and his wife, Mona Juul, are top Norwegian diplomats currently under investigation by their country’s financial crimes squad, Økokrim. Notably, the couple were part of the group that facilitated the early 1990s’ Oslo Accords.
At the press meet, Hardeep also said, “My contacts have introduced me to a man called Reid Hoffman. He was the founder of LinkedIn…after the meeting with Hoffman, I sent an email.”
Adding that his interactions had nothing to do with the criminal allegations against Epstein, he read out portions of his long email from November 2014 to Hoffman regarding India’s internet market.
“In November 2014, I was a private citizen,” Hardeep added.
Later in the press conference, Hardeep said, “I mailed something on the Indian economy. On the potential of the Indian economy. And I’m very proud that years later, I’ve been proved right.”
An email between Terje Rød-Larsen and Epstein also mentioned Hardeep Puri which he brought up at the press meet.
On December 25, Rød-Larsen and Epstein communicated over a forwarded email from Hardeep. “Two-faced”, Epstein says.
To this, Rød-Larsen replies, “Have you heard the saying: when you meet an Indian and a snake, kill the Indian first!”
Epstein responded: “the question is how do you tell one from the other”.
This, Hardeep Singh Puri spoke about, to point out that Epstein didn’t perhaps like him.
When asked about the Opposition's demand that he should resign, Hardeep said, “A lady MP took me aside and said many of these people are very jealous. I told her, ‘yaar, if something had happened, then I would speak. But I remained stuck with this’.”
Later in the press meet, Hardeep addressed Epstein’s 2008 conviction. “He was a very prominent member of New York society. Half the world who interacted with him had no clue regarding his past,” he claimed.
The minister added, “In 2008, he pleaded guilty, yes. For a charge that he was soliciting the favours of a woman who was underage. That was it. The rest of the stories were known much later. Many of us had doubts about that. That’s why people like us left.”
Guru calls god a construct
Indian-American author Deepak Chopra’s name was referenced in over 3,000 documents. It is clear that Epstein and Deepak were close. Their conversations involve pseudoscientific theories, sexualised banter, and objectification of women.
At one point, Deepak, who is a self-professed spiritualist, said, “God is a construct. Cute girls are real.”
On another occasion, Deepak wrote, “Come to Israel with us Relax and have fun wit interesting people. If you want use a fake name . Bring your girls. It will be fun to have you (sic).”
Epstein: “next time . im in santa fe monday”
Deepak: “Ok Your girls would love it as would you”
While the conversations are objectionable, no clear evidence has surfaced of trafficking or abuse. Deepak has denied involvement in any criminal or exploitative conduct.
Another Indian name that has drawn attention is businessman and investor Ravi Mantha.
Emails show him setting up meetings with Epstein and later following up in ways that suggest a desire to remain within Epstein’s circle. Mantha was the BJP’s advisor in 2014.
There is no evidence in the files of criminal conduct linked to him either.