Friday, January 27 2006 15:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Gangster-turned-politician, Arun Gawli has sought police protection to visit Bangalore to undergo a lie detector test asked by Mumbai Police to check his involvement in the plot allegedly hatched by Bollywood starlet Preeti Jain to kill film director Madhur Bhandarkar.

Mumbai Police had asked the Chinchpokli legislator to undergo the test at Forensic Science Laboratory, Bangalore on January 23, but the MLA bought time stating that he was busy with court proceedings, sources said.

Now, after Mumbai Police took a fresh appointment at the FSL on January 31, and informed Gawli to reach Bangalore on the scheduled date, he has written back demanding security for his journey and stay at Bangalore, police sources added.

Gawli, whom Mumbai Police suspects of being involved in the Bhandarkar murder plot, recorded his statement some time ago, but the police, not satisfied with his reply, has asked him to undergo the lie detector test.

Mumbai Police wanted Gawli to undergo even the 'truth serum' narco-analysis test and the P-300 brain mapping test, but Gawli challenged the decision in Supreme Court. The Apex Court has stayed the narco-analyais and brain mapping tests, but has allowed Mumbai police to go ahead with the lie detector test.

Preeti Jain, a starlet who had charged Bhandarkar last year of sexually exploiting her, was arrested in July last year for allegedly hatching a plot along with a former Gawli aide to kill Bhandarkar.