IPL betting racket: Sonu Jalan’s custody extended

The Thane anti-extortion cell (AEC) is also investigating to find if there are any political links in the IPL betting racket.

Top cricket bookie and accused in the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting case, 41-year-old Sonu Jalan’s police custody has been extended till June 17.

Bookie Sonu Jalan at AEC office in Thane on June 2. (HT File)

The Thane anti-extortion cell (AEC) is also investigating to find if there are any political links in the IPL betting racket. Jalan, a resident of Malad, was arrested on May 30, after the racket was unearthed on May 18.

An officer from the Thane commissionerate said the statements of many suspects, including that of Bollywood celebrities Arbaaz Khan and producer Parag Sanghvi have been recorded so far. Khan and Sanghvi have been made witnesses. “Till now we have not found any political links but we are probing further. We are also investigating how the money was distributed and transferred to accounts of those involved in the racket.”

Police have formed teams to trace the suspects and it was found that many bookies from Mumbai , Thane and Navi Mumbai have not come back to their homes in the past few weeks. “We found that some of the bookies have gone to their relative’s place and are not ready to come back home,” said the officer.

On May 18, the Thane AEC arrested three cricket bookies from Dombivli — Gautam Savla,43, Nikhil Sampat, 53, and Nitish Punjani, 28, in the case. After that, the police arrested three more bookies, including Jalan. So far, six bookies have been arrested in the IPL betting racket.