Security agencies probing IPL slush finances

New Delhi: Security agencies are reportedly tracking the sources of slush funds to the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams.

There are reports that the security agencies have joined hands with the Finance Ministry to track down the illegal money trails from tax havens abroad. Income Tax officials had earlier submitted a preliminary report to the Finance Ministry about the unknown investors in IPL and its franchises. Sources said the report charts out the structure of the Kochi team ownership on bid documents.There are reports that notices will be served to IPL franchises by next week. This step has been taken to ensure the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has more details about the whole controversy surrounding Minister of State for External Affairs Shahshi Tharoor and he does not face complications in taking a final call on Tharoor’s future.Dr Singh is likely to meet with the Congress top brass at around 6: 30 p.m. at his official residence and may take a final decision on the whole issue. Tharoor is reportedly in trouble after IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi tweeted to reveal that Sunanda Pushkar, a close associate of Tharoor, had been gifted sweat equity worth Rs 70 crores in the new Kochi team, which was sold for Rs 1530 crores last month. Modi in his email to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief Shashank Manohar had stated it was Tharoor who called him and instructed him not to reveal the identities of the stakeholders of the Kochi IPL franchisee. Tharoor, however, has denied this. Tharoor said he had ‘enough’ of the controversy and denied securing any monetary interest in the Kochi IPL team. ANI