Hotelier detained by cops?

A city-based hotelier, who was running a franchisee of an international hospitality group, was, according to sources, reportedly detained by sleuths of Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Division (CB-CID), though the police officials refused to confirm it.

Known as ‘Victor’ among Mumbai-based bookmakers, Vikram Aggarwal, owner of Radison Blu Hotel in the heart of the city, was reportedly picked up by the CB-CID sleuths around 7.30 am from his residence in Adyar.

Victor and Chennai-based betting racket kingpin Kittty alias Uttam C Jain were in constant touch through mobile phone and the call records showed that the duo spoke over 100 times daily since the beginning of the sixth edition of IPL.

Initially, the CB CID mistook Vikram’s wife to be the crucial player in the betting racket and it was learnt that Vikram had used the SIM card bought in his wife’s name.

Kitty, during the preliminary investigation before he was remanded to judicial custody, threw some light on the bond between him and the hotelier. Victor had become the converging point of independent investigations carried out by the Mumbai Police, which was looking into the spot fixing scandal in IPL, and the CB-CID, probing the betting in Chennai.

Sources said Victor was a close friend of Gurunath Meiyyappan, son-in-law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan, who was arrested by Mumbai Police. Victor used to play golf with Gurunath and he introduced Vindu to Gurunath.

Mumbai Police also searched the yacht owned by Meiyyappan in Chennai Port. They also visited Vikram’s hotel in the evening and reportedly issued summons for the hotelier to appear before them to explain his his role in the IPL scandal. Sources said that Mumbai Police also seized a mobile phone and other incriminating evidence from the yacht.

Top officials of the CB-CID refused to have taken Victor into their custody.