The Maharashtra police has rejected a proposal of the Tamil Nadu government to take up the investigation into the ₹468-crore fraud case involving former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi, police sources said on Tuesday.
Under pressure from the Enforcement Directorate to make progress in the case, which had been pending with the Central Crime Branch of the Chennai police for seven long years, the State government transferred the investigation to the Crime Branch CID.
When investigators sought a legal opinion before commencing the probe, the Public Prosecutor opined that the State police had no jurisdiction over the case since all the alleged financial transactions took place in Mumbai and it would be prudent to transfer the case to Maharashtra.
Letter from ED official
“A proposal was sent to the Maharashtra Police to take up the Lalit Modi case for investigation, but they have returned it back to Tamil Nadu...the CBCID will now investigate the case,” a senior police official told The Hindu .
Parrying questions on the reasons why the case had been returned, the official said the Chennai police had already examined several witnesses and perused voluminous incriminating documents. In view of the inter-State and international ramifications, examination of witnesses in foreign countries was also required. Extradition of Mr. Lalit Modi by obtaining an arrest warrant would be done at the appropriate time, he said.
Investigation in the Lalit Modi case gained momentum after the Enforcement Directorate, which had registered a case against Mr. Lalit Modi in Mumbai, sent several letters seeking to know the progress made in the Chennai case.
In a letter dated March 30, 2017, Karnal Singh, Director, Enforcement Directorate, wrote to the Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran that despite repeated requests, the CCB of the Chennai police had not intimated the progress made in the investigation of the case against Mr. Lalit Modi.
While efforts were on to extradite the accused from the United Kingdom, Mr. Modi had submitted certain documents before the Interpol, claiming them to be the internal report of the Tamil Nadu police.
The report said that the Chennai police had concluded that the case was more civil than criminal in nature and the cause of action arose out of contracts entered into by the office-bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with third parties.
Mr. Karnal Singh said that “the inability of the Tamil Nadu police in logically concluding the investigation of the case is causing embarrassment to the Indian law enforcement agencies in the international forum…” and made a request that the investigation of the case may be concluded at the earliest and the outcome be shared (with the ED) for taking further action.
