NEW DELHI:
Rajasthan Royals co-owner
Raj Kundra has confessed to betting, according to Delhi Police.
Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar, in an interview to TV channels, confirmed that Kundra had admitted to placing bets.
Kundra, according to the Delhi Police chief, has told the police that he lost money after placing bets on his own team.
The Delhi top cop said that Raj Kundra admitted to betting through bookie Umesh Goenka.
Kundra was questioned for 11 hours on Wednesday after cricketer Sidharth Trivedi told police that Kundra's business partner-friend Umesh Goenka used to ask for information regarding team formation and pitches.
Kundra is the second
IPL team owner after
Chennai Super Kings' Gurunath Meiyappan.
According to reports, if the charges against these two are are proved,
BCCI can suspend their teams from the IPL.
Earlier, the passport of Raj Kundra was seized by the cops who have told him not to leave the country till the IPL spot-fixing probe is over.
"We have seized Kundra's passport so he doesn't go out of the country till the spot-fixing probe is over. We will be questioning him further," a police official said.
Kundra, who is a British national, has businesses in Dubai, Ukraine and Botswana.
"Kundra's role is very important in the Rajasthan Royals team. We are yet to decide on his arrest. It will be known only after further questioning," the official added.
He was questioned for more than 10 hours on Wednesday.
According to police, Kundra's business partner Umesh Goenka might be questioned again in connection with the spot-fixing case.
Delhi Police have arrested 26 people in the case, including
S Sreesanth,
Ajit Chandila and
Ankeet Chavan -- part of the Rajasthan Royals team.
While 23 people have been sent to judicial custody, two of them, Chavan and Sreesanth's friend Abhishek Shukla, are on bail and bookie Tinku Mandy has been handed over to Mumbai Police.
The 26 people were on Tuesday booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. Altogether, some 60 people have been arrested across the country in connection with the spot-fixing scam.
(Inputs from IANS)
