Cops probe link between Chennai hotel owner's wife, bookie

Investigations are on to find out why the wife of a Chennai-based five-star hotel owner telephoned a cricket bookie, now under arrest, over a 100 times, police said Saturday.

Without naming the woman, her husband or the name of the hotel, an official of Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) of Tamil Nadu Police told IANS: "The woman has made more than 100 calls to Uttam C. Jain a cricket bookie. We are looking at the purpose of calls and the connection between the two."

Jain was arrested by the CBCID May 23.

The CBCID said they were also probing the relationship between a realtor and cricket bookies.

According to the CBCID, the nine bookies arrested till now had been found to have links with VIP gamblers.

Police said leads were being pursued to see whether the VIPs just funded the bookies or they had been using the bookies for money laundering.

The CBCID said Jain had shown a total income of Rs.5 million for the year ending 31 March, 2011 and invested in an apartment costing Rs.20 million (Rs.2 crore).

Police are also on the look out Jain's two brothers.