Shoaib Malik may not get his passport back soon, may face arrest

Monday, April 5, 2010 23:07 IST

Hyderabad: Former Pakistani cricket captain Shoaib Malik, facing a cheating case here, may not be able to leave the country soon as his passport is required by police for verification following a criminal complaint by Ayesha Siddiqui, who claims she is married to him.

Hyderabad police commissioner AK Khan today indicated that he could not give any time-frame within which the investigation into the case would be completed.

"Timeline is very difficult to set at this stage because we are not yet totally sure how much of work it entails," Khan said. "As ofnow, the rough assessment is that there are 14 to 15 witnesses in and around Hyderabad itself."

The police this morning took Malik's passport and asked him not to leave the country as they questioned him in the wake of a complaint of cheating, harassment, and criminal intimidation lodged by Ayesha's father.

"As part of the investigation, Shoaib's passport has been taken. We felt it necessary to check from the passport the veracity of her [Ayesha's] assertion that Shoaib Malik had visited Hyderabad during the alleged wedding period," Khan told reporters this evening.

He clarified that Malik's passport had not been confiscated or impounded. It had merely been taken to verify entries.

Asked when the cricketer would get his passport back, Khan said that for now it would remain with the central crime station (CCS), a wing of the Hyderabad police, which has taken over the investigation.

The police commissioner said that besides the passport, many other documents needed to be examined. "Maybe the [Central]Forensic Science Laboratory will also get into the picture," he said.

According to Khan, the police will have to reach out to witnessesoutside Hyderabad as well. The Siddiqui family has been asked to produce all material evidence in support of its initial complaint.

The immigration authorities have been informed about the case, Khan said. "It would enable them to keep a watch at airports... in case the accused intends to travel outside."

Asked if Malik faces arrest, Khan said, "If it becomes necessary to arrest somebody, we will do it, but that is all based on how the case evolves and what sort of evidence we come across."

On Ayesha's claim that she had suffered a miscarriage after her marriage to Malik, Khan said the investigating officers will look into this aspect to establish its veracity.

"Our concern is to establish the truth and put it before the court," he said. The police chief said that to ensure a thorough and professional investigation, Malik's case had been transferred to the CCS.

Asked if the investigation would be completed before April 15, the day Malik and tennis star Sania Mirza plan to get married, Khan said, "We will go by the facts of the case and investigate.

"Now, we are in the process of collecting evidence and examining witnesses. At every stage, we will take legal help also and once the whole thing is completed, we will weigh the quality of evidence that we have and decide what should be done with the case.

"We are not going to hurry up with or delay the case. The investigation process has just started and it will take a long time in examining the witnesses, including the qazis."

Referring to Malik's visa, he said, "The visa he has does not require him to report to the police, but during the course of the investigation, if it is required to impose certain restrictions on Shoaib, we will do it."