ED issues lookout notice for ‘missing’ Lalit Modi

Disgraced Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi faces detention. The enforcement directorate (ED) has issued a lookout circular against him after he failed to appear before the sleuths for questioning despite several summons.

ED sources said the circular was handed over to the immigration authorities at all airports. They were asked to detain Modi if he was found to be either entering or leaving the country since he was wanted in a Foreign Exchange Management Act ( FEMA) case registered in April this year.

“ The ‘ blue alert’ for detaining Lalit Modi was issued on October 1 after he failed to respond to five summons issued against him in the past six months,” said a senior ED officer. The ‘ blue alert’ comes second to the highest category of lookout circular, the ‘ red alert’ that warrants arrest and handing over a person wanted by an investigating agency.

Modi has been avoiding questioning on the grounds that he is facing a threat to his life. Though there have been reports that he faced death threats from the Dawood Ibrahim gang, the ED officials believed the suspended IPL chairman was using it as a ploy to avoid the probe.

The ED had conveyed to Modi’s lawyer their willingness to provide foolproof security with the help of the Mumbai Police if he was ready to appear before the investigators. Despite the assurance, Modi continued to remain at large.

The ED probe had hit an obstacle because of Modi’s non- cooperation with the officials saying they had to verify allegations that Modi laundered hundreds of crores worth foreign exchange earned in the T20 premier league without prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India. It is also suspected that he rerouted illegal gains into the cricket league without prior sanctions of the RBI.

A few months ago, Modi’s lawyer Mehmood Abdi had submitted three cartons of documents relating to all IPL contracts, agreements and some personal details to the ED sleuths in Mumbai.