Meiyappan custody extended till May 29

Mumbai (PTI): Gurunath Meiyappan, Chennai Super Kings owner and son-in-law of the BCCI chief, used to place "huge bets" on IPL matches and was even divulging team's strategy to bookies, Mumbai police on Saturday claimed before a court which remanded him in police custody till May 29. Metropolitan Magistrate M P Paaghe handed over Meiyappan's custody to the crime branch after it said his further custodial interrogation was needed to unravel the alleged IPL betting racket. In its remand application, the police said Meiyappan, the Team Principal of the Chennai franchise who was arrested last night, used to place "huge bets" on IPL matches and was even divulging team's strategy to bookies.

The remand application said the crime branch intended to investigate Meiyappan's relation with controversial Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, who was allegedly in touch with bookies. One of the bookies was alleged to have left a 'parcel' with actor Vindu Randhawa, also arrested in the case, to be handed over to Rauf, who by that time had left India. Vindu had allegedly facilitated the escape of the bookie to Dubai. The crime branch application said it also wanted to find out the financial arrangement between Vindu and Meiyappan, who is son-in-law of BCCI Chief N Srinivisan. The two, it said, exchanged phone calls when IPL matches were underway.