File Photo: Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi (Agence France-Presse)
A fresh controversy broke out on Saturday after it emerged that Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria had met tainted former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi in London last year where he sought the help of Mumbai police citing "threat" to his life by the underworld in the UK.
Admitting that he had met Mr Modi on the insistence of the latter's lawyer, Mr Maria clarified that he apprised the Home Minister about the meeting soon after returning from London.
Issuing a statement, Mr Maria said "in the month of July 2014, I officially attended a conference in London. At the conference, I was approached by an advocate representing Lalit Modi who stated that Lalit Modi wanted to meet me regarding a grave threat to his life and that of his family in London."
Mr Modi, the first Commissioner of Indian Premier League, and others are facing probe by Enforcement Directorate in the alleged forex violation cases.
"It may be recollected that as Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Mumbai, in year 2009-10, the crime branch under me had foiled an attempt on his (Modi's) life by the Mumbai underworld," Mr Maria said.
Explaining the sequence of events in London, Mr Maria said Lalit Modi's advocate had requested him to meet the former IPL chief briefly.
"The advocate requested me that since it was a serious threat to his (Modi's) life, I should meet Lalit Modi briefly. As per the lawyer's insistence, we met, albeit briefly, wherein Lalit Modi sought the Mumbai Police's help as he and his family were being threatened by the underworld," the statement said.
Mr Maria said he "categorically" informed Mr Modi that Mumbai Police has no jurisdiction in London and that he should return to Mumbai to lodge a formal complaint.
"Lalit Modi repeatedly kept requesting for Mumbai Police's intervention against the underworld. I reiterated to Modi and his lawyer that it was imperative for Lalit Modi to return to Mumbai for the Mumbai Police to initiate any inquiry. Thereafter, the meeting lasted barely for 15/20 minutes," the Police Commissioner said.