Spot-fixing: ED probe into hawala transactions

A senior police official said that details have been provided to ED about 27 people arrested in connection with the scandal as well as that about Dawood and Chota Shakeel

The Delhi Police has written to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a probe into alleged hawala transactions in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing case, including by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

A senior police official said details had been provided to ED about 27 people arrested in connection with the scandal as well as that about Dawood and Chhota Shakeel. “We have written to ED.

There has been hawala transactions not alone in India but abroad also like in Karachi and Dubai in connection with the case. They (ED) have the expertise in investigating this angle,” he said, referring to the letter. He said establishing the money trail in the case is “very important”.

The official also said they were questioning Ramesh Vyas, arrested by the Mumbai Police recently in a betting case. The Delhi Police have been allowed by a court here to question him till June 18. “He was in touch with bookies arrested by us. He was the one of the main men in the racket. He had direct links with the underworld,” the official said. “He had communication with people outside and inside the country,” he said.

Sources said they were questioning Vyas to ascertain the the identity of “Master” and “Doctor Saab”, who figured in intercepted telephone calls between bookies.

“We want to know the identity of these pseudonyms. Both ‘Master” and ‘Doctor Saab’ stay abroad,” the official said, adding the Mumbai Police had told them that Vyas used 92 mobiles to communicate with bookies and those connected to the underworld. He also said they are yet to nab six-seven bookies in the case. Twenty-seven people, including three players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan, have been arrested since May 16 from various parts of the country after the IPL spot-fixing scandal came to light.