Woolmer probe may seek Mumbai police help

MUMBAI: With a Pakistan-based bookie claiming that crucial information was peddled and betting rates on World Cup matches were “fixed” by bookies in Mumbai, the city police may soon be asked to assist the probe into Wool-mer’s murder.

The Jamaican police are yet to make a formal request to their Mumbai counterparts. But with the possibility of a multi-agency investigation looming, police have begun to “upgrade” dossiers on top bookies, all members of the cricket betting mafia controlled by Dawood Ibrahim.

The Jamaican police are trying to find out whether “big money syndicates” played any role in the murder. One such suspect is the betting syndicate of Kamal Kishore Chaddha, who acted as a conduit between Dawood and bookies until his arrest in 2005.

Police Commissioner DN Jadhav did not deny that betting rates and stakes are often “settled” by bookies linked with Dawood or Anees. He told DNA: “Just before the World Cup, we started tracking bookies running global operations. After the murder, we decided to bring blacklisted bookmakers under the scanner.”