Bollywood star quizzed in IPL probe - reports

The co-owner of Indian Premier League cricket side Kolkata Knight Riders, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has been quizzed as part of a probe into the team's finances, reports said Wednesday.

Popular heartthrob Khan spent seven hours last weekend answering questions at the Mumbai offices of the Directorate of Enforcement, the Indian Express newspaper and other media said.

The Directorate of Enforcement is part of India's finance ministry and is responsible for looking into claims of money laundering and infringements of overseas investment laws.

Officials at the unit declined to comment when contacted by AFP, and the actor's spokesman was not immediately available.

Indian media, however, quoted unnamed sources as saying that investigators were looking into alleged irregularities in the holding of the 2009 tournament, which was hosted by South Africa because of security concerns in India.

The Indian Express added Khan was asked about his majority shareholding in the club and the franchise deal between Knight Riders Sports Private Limited and the sport's governing body, the Board for Control of Cricket in India.

He was also asked to explain the allocation of shares in the club to a Mauritius-based company, the daily added.

Khan is one of Bollywood's biggest names and is currently starring in the science-fiction movie "Ra.One", one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.

A number of other Bollywood stars are also involved in rival IPL teams, including actresses Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty.

The probe comes after claims of foreign exchange violations, corporate corruption, tax evasion and money laundering, as well as secret deals to hide teams' real owners and even links to India's criminal underworld.

IPL founder Lalit Modi was ousted from running the lucrative tournament in 2010 over graft allegations. He denies the claims.