Mumbai: Actor Vindoo Randhawa, son of late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, was today arrested by police in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal in the first Bollywood link busted after the scam broke out last Thursday.
“Vindoo was questioned after he was found to be in contact with the bookies and subsequently arrested today,” a police officer told PTI.
Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch claimed that 49-year-old Vindoo, winner of reality television show Bigg Boss season 3, was in touch with some bookies arrested in the scandal and was himself into betting. He 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.
Dressed in a grey T-shirt, 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.
“We also want to find out if he was using his contacts with players to spot-fix IPL matches,” the Crime Branch said in its remand application.
The 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.
Vindoo’s wife said she knew nothing about his dealings.
“I don’t know what happened. I’m not in touch with him. I don’t know where he is. I just picked up my daughter from school,” she said.
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 ,one of the three cricketers arrested in the scam, 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.
