Indrani ready to identify where she met Karti: CBI

Former INX Media promoter Indrani Mukerjea, who is now facing trial in her daughter's murder, has told CBI that she is willing to identify the place where she and her husband Peter Mukerjea met Karti Chidambaram, officials said.

Indrani and Karti were confronted in Byculla prisons in Mumbai on March 4 in connection with the case of INX Media getting government approval for foreign direct investment after money changing hands.

The CBI was planning to seek court's permission for production warrant for Indrani and had even moved an application in the court last week. However, when the issue was taken up in the court on March 9, the agency decided not to press for it as of now while keeping its right to file application once again at the appropriate time.

The agency had twice moved the application but officials said they would wait for an opportune time to do so. According to the application filed in the court, during the confrontation, Indrani has told the investigators that she was "willing to identify the place where she and Peter Mukerjea had met Karti in connection with the FIPB issue of INX Media and where he demanded an amount of $one million for settling such issues".

Karti, who will be produced before the court on Monday as his custody ends, and Chidambaram have denied any wrongdoing. Sources said CBI will seek his custody for another three days and is likely to apprise the court about the contents of the confrontation between Karti and his Chartered Accountant S Bhaskararaman, who is presently in judicial custody.

Indrani had last month recorded a statement before a magistrate claiming that she and Peter met then Finance Minister Chidambaram, in his office, who requested them to help his son's business. She also referred to the meeting she and Peter had with Karti in Hotel Hyat when the latter made the demand for money.

Sources had earlier said, Indrani claimed that INX Media entered into an agreement with Karti-led Chess Management Services Pvt Ltd and payments were made to Advantage Strategic Consultancy Pvt Ltd (ASCPL), a company which is "indirectly linked" to Karti.

Earlier, CBI had said that ED seized invoices and it included one for Rs 9,96,296 to ASCPL, which claimed it was for management consultancy. However, INX ledger extract had shown that the payment was for clearing approval for FDI.