ED to probe 1,000-cr ’hawala’ deal in IPL

Mangaloretoday/DHNS

New Delhi, June 9, 2013: The Special Cell of Delhi Police on Sunday formally approached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe the money trail made through “hawala” in the Indian Premier league (IPL) spot-fixing case which, according to a source, amounts to Rs 1,000 crore.

 

“We have written to the ED to probe the  money trail made from Pakistan and Dubai through ‘hawala.’ We have given them details of all the accused (arrested and suspected) and requested them to investigate,” said a senior police officer.

“A lot of people are involved. Several people bet and bookies take money and place bets. We have asked them to probe the entire network,” said the officer.  He said the department wants to know the pecuniary benefits the bookies have made in this IPL season.

“As the ED is more equipped and more specialised in probing the money trail, we have asked them to investigate,” he said.

The officer also said they were interrogating bookie Ramesh Vyas, who was brought to Delhi after getting his custody. Vyas was arrested by the Mumbai Police. The Delhi Police had sought his remand. On Saturday, Vyas was brought to the national capital and was produced before the court which sent him to 10 days police custody.

“During preliminary questioning, Vyas stated that he was in touch with bookies arrested by us (Delhi Police). He was the kingpin and had direct links with the underworld. He was in regular touch with people in the country and abroad,” the officer said.

The interrogators are trying to establish the identity of a  “master” and a “doctor saab” who figured in the intercepted telephone calls between bookies. “We want to know the identity of these pseudonyms. Both of them are abroad,” said the officer.

The officer also claimed to have identified seven more bookies who were in touch with Raj Kundra’s (co-owner of Rajasthan Royals) friend Umesh Goenka. “We are trying to locate them as all of them are absconding,” he said.