Epstein Files: Indian Minister Hardeep Puri’s Connections Include Meetings at the Pedophile’s NY Townhouse

Indian Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s name has emerged prominently in the latest release of Jeffrey Epstein documents, with newly disclosed emails revealing a three-year business relationship that included at least three meetings at the convicted sex offender’s Manhattan townhouse and efforts to connect Puri with Silicon Valley investors.

The emails, released by the U.S. Justice Department on Jan. 30 as part of more than 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein’s crimes, span from June 2014 to June 2017 and center on investment opportunities in India’s internet economy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Digital India” initiative.

The Documented Relationship

The newly released files show substantially more interaction between Puri and Epstein than the single September 2014 email that emerged last November, when the U.S. House Oversight Committee released correspondence showing Epstein mentioning “Hardeep Puree (India) (sic)” among international figures he was inviting to events during the UN General Assembly, according to The Wire.

At that time, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Pradeep Bhandari dismissed the reference as “bogus” with “zero substance,” and BJP National Information & Technology Department in-charge Amit Malviya called it “empty name-dropping,” according to The Hindu. The party emphasized that Epstein had misspelled Puri’s name and suggested there was no actual relationship.

However, the latest document release contradicts that characterization, revealing multiple email exchanges, scheduled meetings and substantive business discussions between the two men.

Connecting Puri to LinkedIn Founder

According to the documents, the relationship began in June 2014 when Epstein wrote to Puri about Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, being ready to visit India. Puri responded on June 23, 2014: “Just saw your message on returning to Delhi, Jeffrey. Will be happy to assist/facilitate Reid Hoffman’s visit,” according to emails reviewed by The Wire.

On Sept. 24, 2014, Epstein sent an introductory email to Hoffman writing simply, “reid – hardeep . hardeep reid, . reid hardeep is your man in india,” according to documents published by the Justice Department.

Hoffman responded warmly, telling Puri that “Jeffrey has exquisite taste in people” and offering to meet in California or later in India, The Wire reported. They eventually scheduled meetings for early October 2014 in Silicon Valley.

Following their meeting, Puri sent a detailed email on Nov. 13, 2014, to both Epstein and Hoffman outlining investment opportunities in India’s growing internet sector, according to the documents. The message referenced his Oct. 3 discussions with Hoffman in Silicon Valley and noted Epstein’s view that Hoffman should visit India “sooner rather than later.”

In the email, Puri highlighted India’s internet user base of 200 million growing by five million users monthly, expected to reach 500 million by 2018, according to The Wire. He detailed Prime Minister Modi’s “Digital India” initiatives and compared LinkedIn’s 28 million Indian resumes with local competitor Naukri.com’s 38 million.

“Jeff/Reed, I have summarized my findings above in order to endorse Jeff’s view that the visit to India be undertaken earlier rather than later,” Puri wrote, according to the documents. He concluded by referencing Epstein’s suggestion for “less of ‘goody goody’ and more of internet based entrepreneurial ideas” and stating: “I am ready.”

Meetings at Epstein’s Residence

The documents show Puri met Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse on at least three occasions, according to The Wire. The meetings took place on Feb. 4, 2015; Jan. 6, 2016; and May 19, 2017. All meetings were scheduled through Epstein’s assistant Lesley Groff and held at Epstein’s residence at 9 East 71st Street.

One scheduled meeting for Jan. 9, 2015, was cancelled when Epstein was no longer in New York, The Wire reported.

The Exotic Island 

In December 2014, Puri wrote to Epstein asking when he would return from his “exotic island,” adding that he wanted to “come across for a chat, apart from giving you some books to excite an interest in India,” according to emails published by the Justice Department and reported by The Wire.

While Puri was trying to promote India to Epstein, the sex offender expressed personal disdain for India in private emails. Epstein wrote “I want nothing to do with India, hot, smells like shit, filthy” in one 2014 email exchange. 

Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands is the island most often associated with Epstein. Many of the allegations against him were linked to activities said to have taken place there.

Asked about this reference, Puri told The Wire he was merely referring to Epstein’s island, not indicating that he had visited it. He said his use of the word “exotic” to describe the island may have been because someone from Epstein’s staff used that adjective to describe the place.

The last documented exchange between Puri and Epstein occurred in June 2017, when Puri wrote, “Jeff, if you are back in town, I would like to drop by for a chat. I am here till the 10th,” according to The Wire. Epstein replied, “Phone tomorw? I return 15th.”

Puri’s Response

Contacted by The Wire about the emails, Puri acknowledged meeting Epstein but said the encounters were limited and work-related. “In eight years (in New York), 3 meetings,” Puri said. “All those took place” while he was at the International Peace Institute, he added.

Puri emphasized that all four meetings took place before he joined the Modi government.

Asked about the purpose of these interactions, Puri told The Wire he was advocating for Indian business opportunities. “In 2014, I’m saying, this government will concentrate on innovation, this government will do Make in India, and LinkedIn has 28 million, mentioned India’s regional languages, this could have potential,” he said.

He described his November 2014 email as an “analysis that a government under Modi will” focus on innovation and Make in India, emphasizing it was his “personal analysis.”

Puri said he was not aware of Epstein’s criminal background during the period of their meetings, according to The Wire.

Asked why he stopped meeting Epstein, Puri said, “When you get to know that a guy is what he is, what contact are you going to have with him, plus I have nothing in common with him,” The Wire reported. He added that he “cut off stuff with Hoffman” after the initial interactions.

Puri also said that his contact with Epstein had occurred through his association with the International Peace Institute, according to The Wire.

Who is Hardeep Puri?

Puri, 73, is currently India’s Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas. A career diplomat, he served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2009 until his retirement from the Indian Foreign Service in February 2013, The Wire reported. India held a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council from 2011 to 2012.

Puri was president of the UN Security Council during India’s tenure. At the time of his contact with Epstein, he was working as vice president of the International Peace Institute, a New York-based think-tank, according to The Wire.

He joined the BJP in January 2014, shortly before Modi’s party won a landslide victory in national elections. In September 2017 — several months after his last documented contact with Epstein — Puri was sworn in as a minister in the Modi government, according to Drop Site News.

The International Peace Institute Connection

In 2020, Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen resigned as head of the International Peace Institute after it was revealed that he had links with Epstein, according to The Wire. The think tank had received $650,000 in donations from Epstein’s foundations between 2011 and 2019, which the board later decided to donate an equivalent sum to programs that support victims of human trafficking and sexual assault.

According to Drop Site News, Puri was joined in his June 2014 meeting with Epstein by Rød-Larsen, who was a close friend of Epstein. At the time, Puri was the vice president of the International Peace Institute, where Rød-Larsen, who played a part in the 1990s peace process between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, was the president.

Reid Hoffman has previously acknowledged meeting Epstein but stated he regretted the association, according to The Wire. In a 2019 statement, Hoffman said he met Epstein in 2015 through MIT and other connections. Hoffman has stated he visited Epstein’s private island once as part of fundraising for MIT.

In November 2025, President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into Democrats mentioned in the Epstein files, specifically calling out Hoffman by name, The Wire reported. “Hoffman, in my opinion, should be under investigation,” Trump said, calling him “a sleazebag.”

No victim of Epstein’s sexual exploitation has made any public allegation of wrongdoing by Hoffman. In response to Trump’s call for investigation, Hoffman wrote on social media: “I was never a client of Epstein’s and never had any engagement with him other than fundraising for MIT,” according to The Wire.

Political Fallout in India

The revelations about Puri come amid broader disclosures about Indian connections to Epstein, including communications with billionaire Anil Ambani and references to Prime Minister Modi in Epstein’s emails.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded on Jan. 31, 2026, dismissing claims about Modi as “trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt,” according to Al Jazeera. The MEA acknowledged PM Modi’s July 2017 Israel visit as fact but rejected any suggestion that it was influenced by Epstein or external advice.

However, the opposition, led by the Congress Party, has demanded answers about the latest disclosures. Congress Party spokesperson Pawan Khera wrote on X that “the name of @HardeepSPuri figuring in the #EpsteinFiles deserves clarification. Mr Puri needs to come clean on this.”

Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal wrote in a post on X: “The reports of the new batch of Epstein Files are a huge wake-up call about the kind of monsters who have access to PM Modi, and how susceptible he is to foreign manipulation,” according to Al Jazeera.

Social Democratic Party of India National General Secretary Muhammed Ashraf issued a statement strongly condemning Prime Minister Modi in light of the disclosures. “The files also indicate repeated interactions between Epstein and senior Indian officials, including reported meetings with Hardeep Singh Puri, a key minister in the Modi cabinet, even after Epstein’s 2008 conviction,” the statement said. “If confirmed, such engagements reflect a shocking disregard for ethical norms and political responsibility.”

No Criminal Conduct

The Justice Department’s release includes millions of pages of documents related to Epstein’s activities before his 2019 death in federal custody. The emails reference other prominent individuals including former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former CIA director Bill Burns, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, according to The Wire.

Being mentioned in the files does not imply criminal conduct. Many prominent figures appear in the documents simply because they had some form of contact with Epstein, who cultivated relationships across business, politics, academia and entertainment.

However, the documents have raised questions about judgment, particularly regarding continued contact with Epstein years after his conviction and amid ongoing public reporting about allegations against him.

According to TRT World, while Puri was trying to promote India to Epstein, the sex offender expressed personal disdain for India in private emails. Epstein wrote “I want nothing to do with India, hot, smells like shit, filthy” in one 2014 email exchange. In another reported email, Epstein stated “Leaving India. HATE it,” reinforcing his sentiment.

The case of Puri joins a growing list of global political figures whose connections to Epstein have come under scrutiny following the document releases, including Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, UK politician Peter Mandelson, and Slovakian national security adviser Miroslav Lajcak, who resigned following the revelations.

This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.