If Gurunath Meiyappan, CEO of Chennai Super Kings, does not reply to the summons, the Mumbai Police will move court and declare him a proclaimed offender. It can also attach his property, said Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police Himanshu Roy on Thursday.
He was addressing the media at the Police Commissioner’s Office about the summons being served on Meiyappan in connection with the IPL betting scandal. Roy said that Meiyappan has been asked to appear on Friday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Crime Branch office in Mumbai.
Summons were served on Meiyappan at his home and India Cements premises (both in Chennai) that also house the office of Chennai Super Kings. Since he was not available at either place, Roy said the summons notice was stuck outside his home. At the office, though, the notice was received by a manager, he said.
Meiyappan’s name cropped up when Vindoo Singh, an accused in the IPL betting scam, told the Mumbai Police, that he was in constant touch with Meiyappan during the IPL season.
Vindoo, son of the late actor-wrestler Dara Singh, “is singing like a canary in police custody. We have come across certain issues in his statement, which we want to cross verify with Meiyappan. Therefore, we also want a statement from Meiyappan. Vindoo is saying many things, which we basically want to cross verify,” Roy said.
Roy said that a police officer of the Deputy Commissioner of Police rank, along with three other officers, had served the summons in Chennai. “The summons could have been served even by a constable, but a four-member team was sent so that in the event of Meiyappan’s availability in the city, we could have questioned him,” he said.
Without giving more details, Roy said the Crime Branch also wants to talk to the person who had introduced Vindoo Singh to Meiyappan about seven years ago.
He added that the Mumbai Police had not found any previous criminal record of Meiyappan in their jurisdiction.