IPL spot-fixing: Gurunath, Vindoo name a Chennai hotelier

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: In a new twist to the spot-fixing saga, the arrested duo of Gurunath Meiyappan, BCCI chief N Srinivasan`s son-in-law and small time actor Vindoo Dara Singh have named a Chennai hotelier in connection with the betting and spot-fixing scandal that has rocked Indian cricket. It was learnt that both have suggested that the hotelier knows a lot of Bollywood celebrities and worked as a link between them and the bookies. Earlier on Sunday, Mumbai police had `confronted` CSK team owner Gurunath Meiyappan with actor Vindoo Dara Singh during questioning about IPL spot-fixing and betting. Police had also collected Gurunath`s voice sample for verification of telephonic conversations he had allegedly had with Vindoo, recorded by investigators. "Gurunath and Vindoo were today made to sit face-to-face and questioned," a senior crime branch official had said. The confrontation was crucial for the investigation as Vindoo, soon after his arrest, had told the crime branch officials that he had placed bets on Meiyappan`s behalf. Vindoo was arrested on May 21 by the city crime branch, while Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, was arrested late Friday night. Vindoo, son of the late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, was allegedly in "frequent touch" with Meiyappan during the IPL matches and has reportedly told crime branch sleuths that the CSK owner had lost Rs 1 crore through betting. While seeking Gurunath`s custody yesterday, crime branch told the local court that he had placed huge bets on IPL matches after fixing the game. "First, a particular match was fixed, then Gurunath used to place huge bets on those matches," police`s remand application said. The CSK `Team Principal` shared inside information about the franchise team with the bookies to make money, crime branch told the court. The remand application said that crime branch also intended to investigate Gurunath`s relations with the controversial Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, who was allegedly in touch with bookies. Gurunath was yesterday remanded in police custody till May 29. (With PTI inputs)