Sanjay Baffna held on landing in city

Immigration officials catch key bookie, hand over to CB-CID
Sanjay Baffna held on landing in city

Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Division (CB-CID) sleuths on Monday arrested Sanjay Baffna alias Sanjeev Kumar, a bookie and accomplice of city-based IPL betting kingpin Kitty, after he returned to the country.

Sources said Sanjay, who got wind of the CB-CID crackdown, which began on May 16 with the arrest of six bookies fled to South Africa.

When the CB-CID sleuths issued the ‘Look Out Notice’ for all the accused who were absconding, Baffna’s name was flagged by Immigration Officials in the list of citizens who  had travelled to South Africa.

Baffna, who was intercepted by Immigration Officials when he arrived in Chennai, was handed over to the CB-CID sleuths. Baffna was then taken to the CB-CID headquarters where he was interrogated for his alleged involvement in the betting racket.

The police were unclear on whether to arrest him since there was an oral order by a Madras High Court judge not to arrest about 250 petitioners, including Baffna, who were involved in cheating seeking anticipatory bail before adjourning all the petitions. The lack of clarity delayed the recording of arrest which finally happened around 4 pm. The accused was produced before XI Metropolitan Magistrate B Saravanan at Saidapet.

The court remanded Baffna to judicial custody until June 10 and the bail plea moved by Baffna’s counsel was expected to come up for hearing on Wednesday.

Meanwhile the court also dismissed the bail petitions of seven bookies - Harish Bajaj, S Virudhachalam alias Vedachalam, Deepak Bajaj, Prashanth M Pawn, Lucky alias Narpath, Pappu alias Praveen Kumar and Sunil Bajanlal, who were arrested by the CB-CID. Prashanth, who was in CB-CID custody, was produced before the court after interrogation and was then remanded back to judicial custody.

Sources said the custody of Kitty will be decided on Tuesday as the petition for the same was expected to come up for hearing then.

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