IPL betting: Arbaaz Khan, Sanghvi to turn approvers

The Thane police on Wednesday made actor-producer Arbaaz Khan and producer Parag Sanghvi approver in the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting case, and slapped the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against arrested bookie Sonu Jalan.

The statements of the approvers will be recorded under section 164 b again. The name of a builder from Malad, Amit Jalan, has also cropped up in the case, and the police may question him soon.

Pradeep Sharma, senior police inspector from Thane anti-extortion cell (AEC), said, “Khan and Sanghvi will be made approvers. Sanghvi and Jalan met each other four years ago at a hotel in Juhu. Jalan claimed Sanghvi was his business partner, but the latter has denied the allegations. Sanghvi said he broke all ties with Jalan after finding out that he was a bookie. We have recorded Sanghvi’s statements.”

Jalan was produced in the court on Wednesday and has been remanded in police custody for one day.

“We have found that there was some transaction between Amit and Sonu Jalan. We are conducting a probe into it,” said Sharma.

On May 18, the Thane AEC arrested three cricket bookies from Dombivli — Gautam Savla, 43, Nikhil Sampat, 53, and Nitish Punjani, 28.

Their interrogation led to three more arrests, including that of Jalan.

So far, six bookies have be