In a sensational development Bollywood actor Arbaaz Khan has not only admitted to betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but also losing a large amount in the just concluded series, here on Saturday, official sources said.
His confession came before a team of Thane Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) which is probing the IPL betting scam since the past five-six years involving several billions of rupees.
Arbaaz, 50, who was summoned before the AEC, was confronted with a prominent bookie Sonu Jalan, 41, alias Sonu Batla, who was arrested five days ago from Thane, besides four other bookies nabbed late last month.
During his interrogation, the name of Khan cropped up beside some handwritten diary entries and a picture of the producer-actor with Jalan and others allegedly involved in IPL betting.
He admitted to betting a huge amount in the IPL series, that concluded on May 27, and losing an even bigger amount, estimated to run into several millions of rupees, but officials remained tight-lipped on the exact figures.
Honoring the police summons issued on Friday, Arbaaz reached the AEC office in Thane on Saturday to record his statement, in which he has reportedly named several other Bollywood personalities who indulge in betting large amounts in IPL.
Thane AEC Chief Pradeep Sharma is likely to make a detailed statement on the developments in the case later this evening.
Pradeep Sharma, a senior inspector of the anti-extortion cell, had earlier stated, “We have booked him (Jalan) on betting charges. But we are, in a way, trying to trace his underworld connections to Dawood Ibrahim. It has come to our notice that Jalan assisted Dawood in fixing matches.”
“During the investigation, it was found that Arbaaz was being threatened by Jalan as he had lost money on one of the matches,” said Pradeep Sharma.
“Jalan had arranged a match-fixing meeting at Dubai. The celebrity was also present at that time. We are probing to know which match was fixed and who all were involved,” he added.