Lalit Modi was born in Delhi in 1963, into one of India's leading business families,[1] the elder son

of Krishan Kumar Modi by his wife Bina Modi. He has an elder sister, Charu Modi Bhartia, and a
younger brother, Samir Modi.[2] His grandfather Gujar Mal Modi had established the Modi
Group business conglomerate and the town of Modinagar. His father KK Modi greatly expanded the
family business.[3][4]:191
Lalit Modi joined Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, in 1971.[5] His family later moved him to St
Joseph's College, Nainital, because of a kidnapping threat.[6] In 1980, he was expelled from St.
Joseph's for truancy, having left school to watch a movie.[7]
Between 1983 and 1986, Modi studied Electrical Engineering and Business Administration in the
United States. He attended Pace University in New York for two years, and then Duke
University in North Carolina for one year. He didn't graduate from either of these institutions. In 1985,
while a sophomore, Modi and three other students tried to buy half a kilogram of cocaine for $10,000
at a motel. The man posing as a seller threatened them with a shotgun, and robbed them of
$10,000. The next day, Modi and his friends beat up a student, whom they suspected of setting them
up.[6][8][9] As a result, on 1 March 1985, Modi was arrested on charges of conspiracy to traffic cocaine,
assault and second-degree kidnapping. The next day, Modi and another student were
indicted.[10] Modi pleaded guilty to the crime when the case was heard in the Durham County
court, North Carolina and later entered a plea bargain, which resulted in a suspended two-year
prison sentence.[11] In lieu of prison time, he was placed under a five-year probation and ordered to
do 100 hours' community service. In 1986, Modi sought permission from court to return to India,
citing bad health. The Durham County Court accepted his plea and ordered him to perform 200
hours of community service in India.[6] Modi's return to India was facilitated by some of his father's
businessmen friends, including Leonard Lauder.[12] When asked about this matter in 2010, Modi
stated "I've got no idea about these allegations, which have been investigated and nothing was
found.".[8]
In 1986, Modi came back to Delhi, and joined the family business. He served as the President of
International Tobacco Company Limited from 1987 to 1991. On 21 August 1989, he was made a
Non-Executive & Non-Independent Director at Godfrey Phillips India, one of India's largest tobacco
companies, and a joint venture between his family's Modi Enterprises and Philip Morris International.
In February 1992, he was made an Executive Director of Godfrey Phillips India, and retained that
position until 1 August 2010.[13]
In Delhi, Modi started courting the much older Minal Sagrani who was the daughter of Nigeria-
based Sindhi Hindu businessman, Pesu Aswani, and the wife of another Nigeria-based Sindhi
businessman, Jack Sagrani.[14] His family initially opposed the marriage, as Minal was a recently
divorced mother and nine years elder to him. Modi managed to get his grandmother Dayawati Modi
on his side, who convinced the family to agree to the marriage. Lalit and Minal married on 17
October 1991 in Mumbai. The couple settled in Mumbai, as Minal faced social boycott in Delhi. They
initially lived in KK Modi's apartment in Pedder Road area, but later bought Minal's father's house
in Juhu as their family grew. They have two children – son Ruchir Modi and daughter Aliya. Lalit
Modi also has a step-daughter Karima Sagrani, from Minal's first marriage