YouTuber used forged letters from PM Modi to back claims on Sridevi's death: CBI

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against a self-styled investigator alleging that she cited in a YouTube video "forged" letters from high dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, to support her claims regarding the death of actor Sridevi, officials said on Sunday.

Last year, the CBI registered a case against Deepti R Pinniti, based in Bhubaneswar, and her lawyer Bharath Suresh Kamath following a complaint from Mumbai-based lawyer Chandni Shah, which was referred to the agency by the Prime Minister's Office.

Shah alleged that Pinniti had produced several documents, including letters from the prime minister and the defence minister, along with documents related to the Supreme Court and records from the UAE government, which appeared to be forged.

Pinniti has been an active participant in social media discussions on the death of Bollywood actors such as Sridevi and Sushant Singh Rajput.

Sridevi died in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in February 2018.

With regard to Sridevi's death, she made sensational claims, including a "coverup between the two governments" in one interview, based on her "investigations."

In response to a PTI query, Pinniti expressed disbelief, stating, "It's kind of hard to believe that the CBI has filed a charge sheet against me without recording my statement... Moreover, the evidence will be given to court when charges are framed."

"When the letters in question are incriminating against the very authorities under whom the CBI comes, CBI becomes a party of conflict to be the entity to collect evidence," she said.

After filing an FIR against her last year, the CBI had conducted searches at her residence in Bhubaneswar on December 2, seizing digital devices, including phones and laptops.

According to the CBI's report submitted to a special court, the investigation revealed that the documents presented by her during YouTube discussions, pertaining to the prime minister and the defence minister, were "forged."

The agency has filed a charge sheet against her and Kamath under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 465, 469, and 471.

"The suspect Deepti Rani Pinniti has time and again maligned the image of the present government by bizarrely accusing the government as the sponsor of the death of Sridevi...," Mumbai-based lawyer Shah had alleged in her complaint.