Rogues had a grand party before IPL start

Twenty-eight top bookies from across India, including Ramesh Vyas, had partied in a plush hotel in Juhu before the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 6.

Vyas had assured the bookies that he had managed to get SIM cards on bogus documents and so it was safe to place bets and communicate with Pakistan-based bookies.

The crime branch officers said the party was held at Sun and Sand in Juhu on March 30. One of the bookies Chandresh Patel, who was arrested by the Delhi police in the spot-fixing case, had booked three rooms at the hotel in his name from March 29 till April 2. At the time of booking, he gave his name as Chandresh Jain, a hotel staffer told the Mumbai police.

“Ajmer-based bookie Bunty had telephoned his Gujarat-based counterparts Pravin Thakkar, Jeetu Jain and Dinesh Khambat asking them to tell all major bookies about the party and a meeting being organised for them at the hotel,” police sources said.

Rajasthan-based bookie Ramlal Johar alias Nokha and his three accomplices came for the party. They were joined by Delhi-based bookie Ritesh Bansal alias Bharat Delhi, his three accomplices and Mumbai-based bookies Mukesh, Munir, Vinod Issar and Pravin Bera, the police said.

“Jaipur bookies Puneet Pawa alias Kaku Badrinath Modi, Nagpur bookie Sanjay Kothari, Naresh Gandhidham from Gujarat, Vinod Kathi and four of their accomplices also joined the party. On March 30, Mumbai-based Ramesh Vyas, Shreni Parekh alias Sunny and some other bookies attended the party,” said a Mumbai crime branch officer.

He added that on March 30 night in room number 502, Vyas, Bera, Nokha, Badri Modi, Bharat Delhi and Jeetu Jain discussed about betting on IPL-6 matches.

“A bookie who attended the meeting told us that Vyas had told the other bookies that he would ensure a hassle-free communication with Pakistan bookies. He also told them that since he had got SIM cards by submitting bogus documents, there is no fear of them getting caught. The match of the season started on April 3,” the officer said.