NEW DELHI, Aug 15: Renowned Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf has denied involvement with an Indian model who accused him of falsely promising to marry her, Press Trust of India said on Wednesday.
“I am 56 and happily married with two kids and at my age how can I promise to marry anyone else. I don’t know why she is doing this but if she continues to defame me and cause me and my family pain then I will take legal action against her,” Mr Rauf told PTI.
The cricketer-turned-umpire admitted that the photographs of the two posing together were real, but denied he had ever had any sexual relations with her.
The ICC elite panel umpire said that the model Leena Kapoor had taken pictures with him by posing as a fan. “The allegations levelled by her are preposterous and she is just making this story up to gain cheap publicity and fame,” he said.
Mr Rauf said many cricket fans were eager to take photographs with people like him and these included women. “So a few pictures don’t mean I had an affair with her.”
Daring her to take legal action against him, the Pakistani umpire said: “If she has any concrete evidence that I had sexual relations with her she should come forward with them and take me to court.”
In Mumbai, reports said Ms Kapoor submitted a written complaint at Deputy Commissioner of Police Pratap Digaokar’s office in suburban Bandra on Monday alleging that she had been sexually abused by the umpire on several occasions in Sri Lanka as well as in India this year.
Mr Digaokar said he forwarded the complaint to the Versova police station which has begun an enquiry.
According to Ms Kapoor, she met the acclaimed international umpire in Sri Lanka in March this year through a common friend and the two exchanged telephone numbers. She said Mr Rauf had disclosed his marital status and the fact that he had children, but added that his religion allowed him to have more than one wife. She claimed he had stopped responding to her calls and around five days back had cut her off, denying knowing her at all.
“If he (Rauf) continues to deny relations with me, I’ll take action against him,” the Indian model was quoted as saying.
