As Chennai Super Kings team owner Gurunath Meiyappan landed here for questioning in connection with the raging betting scandal, Mumbai police today said for the first time that they would also quiz him about his suspected role in spot-fixing IPL matches.
“We suspect Meiyappan gave inside information to arrested actor Vindoo Dara Singh who passed on those to the bookies,” Mumbai crime branch chief Himanshu Roy told reporters. Roy said that after questioning Meiyappan “independently”, he would also be brought face to face with Vindoo, son of late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, arrested for his alleged association with bookmakers.
The Joint Commissioner (crime) said though Meiyappan was being accompanied by his lawyer, the latter would not be allowed to be present during the proceedings.
Roy said Meiyappan would be questioned in the light of what Vindoo had said during interrogation and what police had come to know in the course of its probe.
It was claimed that Vindoo had admitted during his interrogation that he had placed bets on behalf of Meiyappan and even said the CSK owner had lost Rs 1 crore through betting on IPL matches. The Joint Commissioner said Vindoo was quizzed today too and had revealed the names of some more bookies and those involved in betting.
Asked if Meiyappan would be arrested after questioning, he said “nothing has been decided. It is not going to be a pre-conceived decision. We will take a call only after questioning him”.