Bookie reaches court to pacify accused, nabbed

THANE: One of the country's biggest bookmakers has been arrested in connection with the Thane IPL betting ring. Sonu Jalan (41) was nabbed on the Kalyan sessions court premises, where he had come to "comfort" his partners who were produced there on Tuesday. His is the sixth arrest in the case (see graphic).
Popularly known in gambling circles as Sonu Malad, Jalan is said to be a key person in the betting business, with his activities spread across continents.Police inspector Pradeep Sharma says his annual turnover could be close to Rs 100 crore. Jalan, a Mumbai resident, is a partner in an online portal which was active during the IPL season. The anti-extortion unit of Thane police claims that his arrest would further expose the betting racket and bring to light an army of bookies.

The police say that Jalan has a well-oiled network in Pakistan, the Gulf countries and also Europe. But on Tuesday, he unwittingly handed himself over to the cops. He had come to the Kalyan court to meet bookies Gautam Savla, Nikhil Sampat, Nitin Punjani, Khushal Malad (aka Rambhaiyya) and Vrajesh Joshi, arrested in recent days from Dombivli.
During their interrogation, the bookies revealed that Jalan is the key player in the racket, conducted online, said Sharma. "The betting business is now run professionally using software. Jalan would conduct his transactions only with people known to him. He is very smart and had evaded arrest in the present case for long," the officer said. Jalan has been arrested four times since 2008, including in the high-profile corruption case involving a customs officer.
The police are now looking for two partners of Jalan, a former bar dancer called Komal, and another woman, Kaajal, said officer R V Kothmire.