The Mumbai crime branch sleuths on Thursday questioned the hither-to absconding bookie brothers Sanjay and Pawan Jaipur for their role in the IPl spot-fixing scam, even as they arrested one more bookie Devendra Kothari from Jaipur, taking the total number of arrests in the T20 cricket league betting case to 19. 

Sanjay and Pawan Jaipur, the two bookie brothers from Jaipur who had earlier escaped to UAE with the help of the IPl betting scam-accused and Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh, appeared before the city crime branch police for questioning in connection with the scam.

Also known for their alleged links with Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, Sanjay and Pawan Jaipur offered themselves for questioning by the city crime branch police, after the Bombay High Court — hearing an anticipatory petition filed by the duo-directed them to do so.

Kothari, who was picked up from Jaipur, was placed under arrest after being brought here on Wednesday night. Kothari was on Thursday produced before a city court which remanded him in police custody till July 31. The investigations have revealed that Kothari was in touch with Pakistani bookies via conference calls. The conference calls were facilitated by one of the arrested accused Ramesh Vyas. Informed police sources said that Kothari used to place bets through Sanjay and Pawan Chabra alias Jaipur brothers.

Sanjay and Pawan Jaipur, against whom the Mumbai police had issued red corner notices after they fled the county after the Delhi police busted the IPl scam, were grilled comprehensively during the day by a team of investigators headed by Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy. The two were allowed to go at 6 pm.           

The Jaipur bookie brothers, who own well-known Motisons Jewellers outlets in Rajasthan, had filed an anticipatory bail application before the Sessions court, but it was rejected. Following the rejection of their petition, the duo moved the Bombay High Court for anticipatory bail. The Bombay HC, which directed Sanjay and Pawan Jaipur to report first to the Bombay for questioning in connection with the scam, has posted their petition for hearing on Friday.

In the event of the High Court rejecting their anticipatory bail application on Friday, the two Jaipur bookie brothers would in all likelihood be arrested.  

The names of Sanjay and Pawan Jaipur had figured first in the police investigations a few days before Vindoo was arrested by the police. The Delhi police had by then arrested Rajasthan Royals cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan in Mumbai and taken them to New Delhi.