Anil Jaisinghani, a suspected bookie, has been detained by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an investigation into a ‘betting scam’ for the Indian Premier League (IPL), according to authorities. Jaisinghani and his daughter Aniksha were recently detained by the Mumbai Police for allegedly forming a plot to extort money from Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, by sending her purportedly her private messages, and for allegedly conspiring to bribe and blackmail her.
His custody was taken on Friday by the ED’s Ahmedabad office, which appeared before a Mumbai court with a production order and requested his detention in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Ahmedabad court issued an open non-bailable warrant against Jaisinghani in conjunction with the federal agency’s ongoing investigation into a money laundering case from 2015 involving suspected betting on IPL games. The warrant was issued in connection with the investigation. Jaisinghani was taken into custody by the agency on Friday, and it is believed that they are now recording his statement in this matter.
Jaisinghani was recently detained by the Madhya Pradesh Police in connection with an alleged bootlegging case. According to allegations, the father-daughter duo planned a scheme in which Aniksha befriended Amruta Fadnavis and then asked her to “rescue her father from the multiple criminal charges pending against him since the spouse of the complainant (Amruta Fadnavis) is a public official.” Aniksha attempted to bribe Amruta Fadnavis for Rs 1 crore.
Anil Jaisinghani and Aniksha were the subjects of a formal complaint (FIR) filed on February 20 against them by the Malabar Hill Police Station in south Bombay for allegedly threatening to leak various audio and video tapes that apparently show Amruta Fadnavis taking favours from Aniksha. The court granted bail to Aniksha, who was detained on March 17, on March 27. Anil Jaisinghani, who was detained by the Mumbai Police after being apprehended in Gujarat, is now being held in judicial custody after having his bail request denied.
