Match-fixing — More arrests on cards

NEW DELHI, APRIL 23: Delhi Police has completed the analysis of documents relating to the match-fixing scandal seized from various cities ...

NEW DELHI, APRIL 23: Delhi Police has completed the analysis of documents relating to the match-fixing scandal seized from various cities and is likely to arrest more people in this connection.

Delhi Police would soon send teams to various cities on the basis of the analysis to arrest bookies and punters whose role has been established in the scandal, which rocked the whole cricketing world, official sources said.

They said the police was trying to probe the source of the huge amount of money that

was involved in the scandal.

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Crime Branch sleuths have so far identified the underworld gang of Dubai-based Dawood Ibrahim behind the scandal but did not rule out possibility of involvement of more gangs.

The sources said police was trying to find the whereabouts of a woman, who had allegedly acted as conduit between bookies and the South African cricketers.

The lady, whose identity has so far not been revealed and is believed to be running the bookie racket from Mumbai and Gujarat, is alleged of having links with underworld gangs of Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel.

Police teams, which had gone to Mumbai and Bangalore, have also alleged that some calls made by Mumbai-based bookies to Dubai were made to Anees Ibrahim, brother of Dawood, the sources said.

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The bookies chain is alleged to be operating from Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, the sources said, adding the police was trying to find out the missing links before arriving at any conclusion in the case.

The sources also confirmed that some top bookies from Mumbai were involved in the scandal and police had gathered enough proofs to zero in on them.

Meanwhile, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials grilled Bollywood actor Krishan Kumar at Tihar Jail for two consecutive days for his alleged involvement in hawala transactions in the sensational match-fixing case.

A team of ED officials were allowed by Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal, additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) to question Kumar on Thursday, ED sources said.

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Crime Branch has handed over voluminous documents pertaining to FERA violations collected by it so far during investigation against Kumar and Rajesh Kalra, a co-accused in the case.

Kumar’s anticipatory bail application will come up for hearing in the High Court on April 25.

In a related development, a city court yesterday rejected the bail application of Kalra.

Delhi Police has so far identified 11 bookies in this case while ED has zeroed-in on seven bookies, allegedly involved in the hawala transactions in the match-fixing case, the sources added.