Mumbai police on Saturday called Chennai-based hotelier Vikram Agarwal for a second round of questioning in connection with the IPL betting probe. Agarwal, who had been elusive for some time, surfaced before the police on Friday and reportedly admitted to have placed bets on IPL matches this season.
Though CSK Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan — who was also accused of the same offense of betting — was arrested hours after he surrendered, Agarwal has not been arrested till now. In fact, he may not face arrest at all as police plan to turn him an approver.
The Mumbai police are in a fix. Though they have records of phone conversations between Vindu Dara Singh, Meiyappan and the bookies, they have not been able to establish the money trail, which is crucial to prosecute the accused in court.
By turning Agarwal an approver, police are hoping to obtain evidence that they don’t have at the moment. However, even if Agarwal turns an approver, it would only help nail the bookies in the case and not necessarily Meiyappan, whose money trail has not yet been established. Moreover, the so-called confessions to police do not hold any water before the court during trial.