Spot-fixing taint reaches Bollywood; Vindoo Dara Singh arrested

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Vindoo Randhawa, son of late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, was today arrested in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal, a Mumbai Crime Branch official said.

"Vindoo was questioned after he was found to be in contact with the bookies and subsequently arrested today," an official said without revealing further details.

49-year-old Vindoo, winner of reality television show Bigg Boss season 3, 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.

It is not yet known if he was a link between IPL players and the bookies or was just into betting.

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 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.

The Special Cell of Delhi police had arrested Sreesanth, his Rajasthan Royals teammates -- Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan -- and Jiju on May 15 night for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing in at least three IPL matches.

Apart from electronic devices, including a laptop, Rs 72,000 cash, data card and diaries with entries in English and Malayalam, which appeared to be in Sreesanth's handwriting, were also seized.

Sreesanth's laptop had dozens of photographs of models e-mailed to him by the casting director.

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.

In its remand application, the Crime Branch said Vindoo was in touch with bookies and was himself into betting.

"We also want to find out if he was using his contacts with players to spot-fix IPL matches," it said.

The remand 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.

PTI --------------------------- ZEENEWS.com