Spot-fixing taint reaches Bollywood; Vindoo Dara Singh arrested
Vindoo Dara Singh, son of late famous actor Dara Singh, was arrested in Mumbai on Tuesday for his alleged role in the ongoing spot fixing saga. It was the first Bollywood link that has been busted.
|Last Updated: May 21, 2013, 03:38 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Mumbai: Bollywood actor Vindoo Randhawa, son of late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, was today arrested in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal, a Mumbai Crime Branch official said.
"Vindoo was questioned after he was found to be in contact with the bookies and subsequently arrested today," an official said without revealing further details.
49-year-old Vindoo, winner of reality television show Bigg Boss season 3, was on many occasions spotted watching IPL matches and attending post-match parties.
His arrest is the first from Bollywood in connection with the latest scandal to hit Indian cricket.
It is not yet known if he was a link between IPL players and the bookies or was just into betting.
The Crime Branch, which is also probing the scandal apart from Special Cell of Delhi Police, had yesterday questioned a casting director who sent photographs of models to S Sreesanth and summoned a Telugu film producer having business links with the tainted India pacer.
The move came amid suspicion that honey traps could have been laid to lure cricketers into spot-fixing IPL matches.
The Special Cell of Delhi police had arrested Sreesanth, his Rajasthan Royals teammates -- Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan -- and Jiju on May 15 night for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing in at least three IPL matches.
Apart from electronic devices, including a laptop, Rs 72,000 cash, data card and diaries with entries in English and Malayalam, which appeared to be in Sreesanth's handwriting, were also seized.
Sreesanth's laptop had dozens of photographs of models e-mailed to him by the casting director.
Vindoo, booked under sections 420, 465, 466, 467 and 468 of IPC related to cheating and forgery, was later produced before Metropolitan Magistrate M N Saleem, who remanded him in police custody till May 24.
In its remand application, the Crime Branch said Vindoo was in touch with bookies and was himself into betting.
"We also want to find out if he was using his contacts with players to spot-fix IPL matches," it said.
The remand application said police had phone call data records which showed the actor was in contact with absconding bookie Jupiter, wanted by both Mumbai and Delhi police in connection with separate spot-fixing cases registered by them, besides Pawan Jaipur and others.
The Crime Branch insisted that Vindoo's custodial interrogation was needed to establish the chain of people involved in the racket as the actor was not only betting himself but was also aiding the bookies.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.