Cricket betting: Delhi-based ‘key bookie’ sent to ED custody till May 28

ED got custody of Ritesh till Tuesday afternoon. ED officials have claimed that Sharma “was settling his accounts with Bharat Delhi” among other bookies arrested earlier in this case identified as Tommy Patel and Kiran Mala in Gujarat.

The Ahmedabad enforcement directorate (ED) officials are claimed to have busted the modus operandi of UK-based betting website “betfair.com” in India with the arrest of Delhi-based cricket bookie Mukesh Kumar Sharma also known as “Mukesh Delhi and Mukesh Jamnapaar” who allegedly had several master login IDs for the website. Sharma is said to be the “key bookie” operating through the foreign website.

Associated with a well-known real estate firm, Sharma was arrested by the ED officials on May 23 from his house in New Delhi under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002. He was produced before special PMLA court on Monday from where he was sent to ED custody till May 28.

The officials had sought 10 days remand for further investigation and for confronting him with another bookie arrested from Delhi — Ritesh Bansal alias “Bharat Delhi.” ED got further custody of Ritesh till Tuesday afternoon. ED officials have claimed that Sharma “was settling his accounts with Bharat Delhi” among other bookies arrested earlier in this case identified as Tommy Patel and Kiran Mala in Gujarat.

While seeking his custody, the ED officials told the court that Sharma has reportedly revealed the scheme of “betfair” in which “he used to get “Super Mast ID” and in turn would further give master ID and client ID to other persons in the country for betting through the website.

According to ED officials, the website was ordered to be banned by the Mumbai High Court in 2010 but the order hasn’t be complied with.

Sources said that the website has over 60 lakh users in the country. The officials said that the “super master ID” received by Sharma would come with provisions of giving 10 further “master IDs” and every “master ID” was further programmed to support another 30 clients, thus every “super master ID” could enable 300 clients who could place bets using the website. According to the officials, from 2011 till date, Sharma was given around 50 master login IDs to his group of bookies.

Judge says he was chased
After hearing on remand application moved by the ED officials concluded, the special Judge A P  Bhojak told the lawyers representing the department that he was “chased” by the officials on Sunday. Bhojak said that while he was leaving his house, an ED officials’ vehicle chased him.

“I am a judge and there was no need to chase me like that,” Bhojak told the lawyers. The lawyer apologised and said such things would not be repeated. On Sunday, the ED officials had gone to Bhojak’s resident to produce Mukesh Sharma. The moment they reached the judge’s residence, he was leaving on a bike. The ED officials followed him to inform that they had come to produce the accused before him. Bhojak didn’t like the approach of the officials and told in the court about the incident. ED’s move is said to have been prompted by a previous order pronounced by Bhojak in which their remand application was rejected after the officials failed to produce an accused on time.

Jaisinghania to undergo surgery
Anil Jaisinghania, the alleged history-sheeter bookie, who was supposed to appear before the ED officials on Monday, sent his lawyer. The lawyer informed the officials that Jaisinghania is to undergo a hernia surgery and therefore he would take time to appear.