Actor-producer Arbaaz Khan on Saturday confessed to having placed bets on Indian Premier League matches in 2017, NDTV reported. Khan recorded his statement in connection with the betting scam at the Anti-Extortion Cell Office of Maharashtra’s Thane Police.
Khan allegedly lost around Rs 2.80 crore to a bookie Sonu Jalan, alias Sonu Batla, who was arrested on May 15 for allegedly running a betting run in India and abroad. Khan was brought face-to-face with Jalan during his interrogation.
“Police asked whatever they needed in this investigation and I answered them,” Khan told reporters. “I will continue to cooperate with them.”
DCP (Crime) Abhishek Trimukhe of the Thane Police said six people have been arrested in connection with the cricket betting racket. “Some new names have cropped up, action will be taken against them,” Trimukhe said.
The Thane Police on Friday summoned Khan to record his statement in connection with the case. Pradeep Sharma, senior police inspector in Thane Police’s anti-extortion cell, had said that the during investigation it was found that Khan was being threatened by Jalan as he had lost money on one of the matches.
The police found a diary of 42-year-old Jalan, NDTV reported. It purportedly had the phone numbers of more than 100 bookies, the name of a Bollywood celebrity, contractors and builders. Jalan reportedly worked for a bookie who goes by the name “Junior Kolkata”.
“Jalan had arranged a match-fixing meeting in Dubai,” Sharma said. “The celebrity was also present at that time. We are probing to know which match was fixed and who all were involved.”
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