New Delhi:
A Delhi court will today hear a fresh bail petition moved by cricketer
Shanthakumaram Sreesanth, who has been arrested in connection with the
spot-fixing scandal in the recently-concluded edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sreesanth's lawyer moved the fresh bail application after the Delhi Police on Tuesday invoked MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) against the cricketer. His counsel withdrew the other bail plea as it was considered infractuous by the court.
Sreesanth was arrested along with his other Rajasthan Royals teammates Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila on May 16. All three face charges under MCOCA, which is usually used against organised crime syndicates. The cricketers, along with other accused, are in judicial custody till June 18.
The Delhi Police has also questioned Rajasthan Royals co-owner
Raj Kundra and according to cops, he has confessed that he placed illegal bets worth a crore in the last three years on his own team and others. (
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Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar said at a press conference on Thursday that Mr Kundra, a UK citizen, "lost a huge amount of money through betting."
Mr Kundra's wife, actor Shilpa Shetty, who co-owns the Royals, has denied reports that she also placed bets on one match, a claim made by Mr Kundra's business partner Umesh Goenka, according to the Delhi Police. (
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Sources say the Delhi Police is unlikely to book Mr Kundra for gambling, which is a bailable offence. The police say it wants to focus on establishing links between bookies and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's crime syndicate or "D-Company."
Gambling on all sports except horse-racing is illegal in India.