Former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi, who is under the scanner of the Income Tax department for suspected financial irregularities in the bidding process of the Twenty20 extravaganza, faces a death threat, as the underworld is allegedly conspiring to bump him off, the police said on Friday.
Modi was on the target list of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim even before IPL season III began, police said, adding Dawood's men plotted to eliminate him either in Mumbai or Bangalore.
"He is on the hit list of Dawood. Besides he was also chairman of the IPL when the tournament was on and hence security was provided to him during his visit to Mumbai. He will be provided security whenever he visits here (Mumbai) a senior police official said.
However, he refused to comment on the motive of the underworld to kill Modi.
Dawood's men had reportedly conducted a recce in the vicinity of Nirlon house at Worli in central Mumbai where Modi's office is located as part of their plan to eliminate him.
Modi is in the midst of controversy after alleged financial irregularities surfaced in the stakeholding pattern of the IPL franchisees.
