Gurunath Meiyappan chargesheeted

With 22 arrested persons and 24 accused wanted in the IPL betting case, the chargesheet runs into 11,609 pages.  According to crime branch chief Himanshu Roy, the 24 wanted accused include 15 Pakistan-based bookies, two Dubai-based bookies and Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf. These accused have been termed as absconding in the chargesheet.

Some of the accused in the case include Virendra Darasingh Randhva alias Vindoo, B Gurunath Meiyappan and Rauf.

“The chargesheet includes statements of 205 witnesses, 61 panchnamas, 12 voice samples, the reports of which are still pending and details of the CCTV footages of four places—three hotels and a Diesel showroom—have also been incorporated. The crime branch teams visited Jaipur, Sujangarh and Nokha in Rajasthan, Delhi, Bhatinda, Goa, Chennai and Pune during the course of the investigations,” Roy said.

Crime branch sleuths had seized 150 cellphones, five laptops, three iPads, 40 SIM cards acquired on fake details, books of accounts on betting and approximately Rs1.29 crore.

The accused in the case have been booked under several sections of IPC including 420 (cheating) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy). The accused have also been booked under relevant sections of the Gambling Act.

“We have also invoked section 130 of the Bombay Police Act against the accused. This section states that if unfair means are used in a game or in betting in a game then it amounts to cheating.”

Sources said they have not ruled out the possibility of the involvement of some players.