Arbaaz summoned in betting racket

Actor Arbaaz Khan with Sonu Malad (to his left), a bookie, who was arrested on May 29.

Actor Arbaaz Khan with Sonu Malad (to his left), a bookie, who was arrested on May 29.  

Crime Branch calls him in after his photo found in bookie Sonu Malad’s phone

Mumbai: Actor Arbaaz Khan on Friday was issued a summons by the anti-extortion cell (AEC) of the Thane Crime Branch in connection with a betting racket busted last month.

The police had arrested three bookies at a building in Dombivali on May 16 for allegedly accepting bets on the 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament; two more bookies were arrested on May 18. Then, on May 29, the AEC arrested Sonu Jalan alias Sonu Malad, a bookie with a criminal record, who was also arrested by the Mumbai Police in connection with a IPL betting racket in 2013.

According to the police, Mr. Khan was issued a summons after his name came up during Mr. Jalan’s interrogation. “We found a picture of Mr. Khan in Mr. Jalan’s cell phone. On quizzing him, we found that Mr. Khan had bet a large amount on one of the IPL matches, which he had lost. We also have information that Mr. Jalan pressured Mr. Khan for the money. All this needs to be verified with the actor,” a Thane Crime Branch officer said.

Senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma, Thane AEC, confirmed that a summons, asking Mr. Khan to present himself for inquiries on Saturday, had been issued.

Sources said that they had also found on Mr. Jalan’s phone photographs of him with other celebrity entertainers, and chat conversations on applications like WhatsApp. An officer said, “We are probing the nature of Mr. Jalan’s association with these celebrities, and might summon them for inquiries if the need arises.” In a search of Mr. Jalan’s residence, the police also found a diary with hundreds of contact numbers.