Mumbai crime branch set to quiz Ankeet over bookie link

Cops May Make Chennai-Based Hotelier A Witness Against Guru

S Ahmed Ali TNN

Mumbai: The city crime branch probing the IPL betting case is likely to question cricketer Ankeet Chavan over his alleged links to Delhibased bookie Ashwini Aggarwal alias Tinku.
    Sources also said the crime branch may make Chennai-based hotelier Vikram Aggarwal alias Victor, who is currently being questioned, a witness against CSK principal Gurunath Meiyappan.
    Chavan is on interim bail till June 6 for his wedding on Sunday. Sources said he may not be quizzed immediately but his statement will be recorded. “Chavan cannot be arrested as he has already been arrested by the Delhi police,’’ said an officer. The police said they need to probe the financial dealings through hawala channels between the bookies and the arrested players.
    Victor was questioned for the second day by the Mumbai property cell. The questioning lasted five hours and he was allowed to go on the condition that he appears again on Monday. “We have not found anything concrete against Aggarwal who was into betting. We will take a call on Aggarwal on Monday,” said an officer.
    Meanwhile, Tinku was produced before the a Magistrate court on Saturday along with two other bookies, Dinesh Sharma and Kishore Pablani, and remanded to police custody till June 6. Tinku was arrested by the Delhi police. “Tinku is a key accused as he was in touch with absconding bookies Devendra Kothari, Jupiter and Lambu who have links to arrested cricketers Chavan, Ajit Chandila and Sreesanth,” said an officer.
    Tinku used to operate from Gurgaon along with Mumbai-based bookie Devendra Kothari. Kothari is the same bookie who was arrested last year in Mumbai along with his associate Sonu Jalan alias Junior Kolkata for betting. Interestingly, Tinku told police that Nagpur-based bookie Sunil Bhatia alias Nagpur had cheated him of Rs 20 lakh by giving him false information about a CSK and Rajasthan Royals match. Tinku had betted his money believing Nagpur’s words and lost.
    The crime branch had arrested another bookie Paresh Bhatia alias Malad from Goa, along with two others, last Monday for betting on the IPL final match. On Friday the Goa court released Bhatia on bail. “No sooner was my client released, the Mumbai police picked him up. How can one person be arrested twice for one offence?’’ asked his lawyer Rajesh Srivastav.
    Meanwhile, police are looking for Devendra Kothari, Shobhan Mehta alias Kalachowkie and Jupiter who could throw more light on the spot-fixing scam.