Mumbai, Apr 18 (Agencies): The woman caught on camera leaving Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi’s office in a plush hotel minutes before the Income Tax authorities reached there for inspection on Thursday has been identified as Laila Mahmood, stepdaughter of liquor baron and Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya. 

She is believed to have been questioned by I-T authorities who visited the offices of the BCCI and the IPL commissioner in the wake of controversy surrounding the Kochi IPL team franchise involving Union Minister Shashi Tharoor.

The I-T authorities probing various aspects of the IPL controversy have been able to ascertain the identity of the ‘mystery’ woman as Laila, a source in the department said.
Mallya also said in a statement that “my stepdaughter Laila Mahmood works for Lalit Modi. I know nothing about this. I called Lalit Modi and he confirmed that she has given a statement to the Income Tax officials.”

I-T officials had come across CCTV footage of a woman exiting Modi’s office just before the sleuths arrived on Thursday. Suspecting that the woman, who was seen carrying what appeared like a laptop and some documents, might have carried away some important documents, the I-T authorities got into action and identified her. The I-T department plans to enlarge its current inquiry into the IPL’s financial transactions to cover all the franchises amidst allegations of murky deals even as it questioned Laila Mahmood.

Voluminous report

Notwithstanding claims by Lalit Modi that it was routine questioning on Thursday by officials at the premises of BCCI and his office in Mumbai, I-T department sources said the special team has prepared a voluminous report on the operations and sent it to the Finance Ministry in Delhi.

Top sources said that in the wake of the report, plans were afoot to summon representatives of the various IPL team owners for questioning and for production of teams.

It may also include search operations on their official premises, the source said adding it could be a long process. Officially there has been no word on the operations in Mumbai but sources said the department in Mumbai has been asked to carry out further inquiries and, if necessary, even surveys and raids on IPL premises and those of its franchises.

“We are widening our inquiry.  However, it will takesome time before we obtain all details about IPL’s transactions,” the sources said.

Earlier indications were that only the new franchisees Kochi and Pune could be investigated but now the department may be expected to scrutinise the bid process of all the franchises in the wake of allegations about the sourcing of the funds of the teams. 

Decision on Tharoor likely om Monday
 
New Delhi, Apr 18: The fate of controversial Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, which hangs in balance, is likely to be known by Monday morning, before the beginning of the Parliament session.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who returned from his foreign tour on Saturday afternoon, is likely to hold discussions with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday or Monday morning.

Sources close to the prime minister said Singh did not take up the Tharoor issue after his return.

The government will have to decide one way or the other in the face of an unrelenting assault by the united Opposition, which will gear up again on Monday seeking Tharoor’s head.

The Opposition held up the proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament on Friday demanding his sacking and a statement from the prime minister. The Opposition MPs did not allow Tharoor to read out his statement.

The prime minister on Saturday chose to tread carefully on the IPL row involving Tharoor. “Politics has its ups and downs,” was all he said on board his special aircraft when asked about his take on Tharoor’s links with the Kochi IPL franchise.

Tharoor had on Friday clarified that he had not misused his official position and that his “mentoring” the Kerala consortium of the Kochi IPL franchise was within the “bounds of appropriate conduct” as an MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

“The ball is in the prime minister’s court,” highly placed party sources said, adding that Singh would be having relevant information regarding the Kochi IPL ownership controversy to take a decision in the matter.

Back on Twitter

Tharoor, who has courted controversies by tweeting, was back on the social networking site thanking the “new India” for the support and good wishes. Tharoor, who unusually remained silent on Twitter for the last two days, said: “Sorry for long silence, been overwhelmed..... Thanks for all the support & good wishes. U (you) folks are the new India. We will ‘be the change’ we wish to see in our country. But not w’out (without) pain!.”

Shashi Tharoor also posted the link to his “personal explanation” on the controversy, saying that had the Opposition allowed him to speak on the issue in Parliament, this is what he would have said.