The Mumbai crime branch sleuths probing the IPl betting scam on Monday arrested a bookie with international links Kishore Badlani alias Kishore Pune, from the city international airport on his arrival from Europe on Monday morning.
Badlani, who is alleged to have links with a betting syndicate run by D-company, was later in the afternoon produced before a city court which remanded him in police custody till June 6.
According to police, Badlani’s name had figured during the custodial interrogation of the bookies, including Ramesh Vyas, arrested in connection with the IPl spot-fixing scam. He had been away in Europe.
Acting on a tip-off that Badlani was returning home from abroad, the police arrested him from the city arrival upon his arrival from Europe and seized four mobile phones from him.
Seeking his remand, the police told the court that Badlani was in constant touch with bookies based in Pakistan, that he had used forged documents to procure SIM cards which he used for his operation and that they wanted to ascertain from him if there was any financial transactions between bookies in India and Pakistan.
Wth Badlani’s arrest, the total number of persons taken into custody in connection with the IPl betting scam has gone up to 13. The arrested persons include CSK Team Principal and BCCI chief N Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan and Bollywood actor Vindoo Singh Rndhawa.