MUMBAI: Indian police have arrested the son-in-law of the country's cricket chief as part of a widening probe into allegations of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League.
Gurunath Meiyappan, part of the management team of Chennai Super Kings, was arrested by police in Mumbai late Friday for betting on matches in connivance with bookies and a Bollywood actor who is already under arrest.
"We interrogated him and based on the information we have, we found his involvement in the offence. We have placed him under arrest," Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police, told reporters.
Meiyappan, who is the son-in-law of board chief N Srinivasan, will be produced in court on Saturday, Roy added.
Reports in local newspapers said Meiyappan had placed bets on IPL matches through actor Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa, who was taken into custody earlier this week.
A statement from India Cements, owners of the Chennai franchise, sought to downplay Meiyappan's role within the team.
"Gurunath is only one of the members (honorary) of the management team of Chennai Super Kings. India Cements follows zero tolerance policy and if anyone is proved guilty, strict action will be taken immediately," the statement said.
Meiyappan had in the past been referred to as the chief executive of the team and actively participated in players' auctions as well.
His arrest comes on the heels of similar police action against Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates as part of a probe into the spot-fixing scandal which has caused outrage among fans in the cricket-mad nation.
The trio, who deny any wrongdoing, are accused of deliberately bowling badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars after striking deals with bookies.
The Chennai Super Kings, led by India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, have made it to the final of this year's tournament.
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