His love for betting helped police track Shobhan Mehta

Police said it was his love for betting which helped them nab him. His addiction to betting is so strong that for two days we was holed inside the Casino Carnival which is off Goan waters. He would place big bets there and leave for his hotel room after midnight. We first broke into his circle of friends in Goa and then kept a close watch on him for 48 hours, an officer said. Mehta who lived discreetly in Goa all these days,had left strict instructions with the reception staff to not allow any person beyond the corridor towards his room. It is interesting that while we were looking for him for 46 days,he went to Dubai and came back to Goa placing bets in casinos. His addiction led us to him and we found him in the right place, an officer said.

The police will now probe into the partners and other stakeholders in the Casino Carnival. According to information received by our sources the Casino is mostly funded and run by Mumbai bookies. Though the casino is legal,we will ask them to explain their business details as there is a reason why Mehta chose to hide here, an officer said.

Arrested first in 2005,Mehta ran the biggest bookie network then,and now resides in Parel in an upmarket building. While three agencies,including Mumbai local police,Crime Branch and CBI have investigated him in the past,he was first arrested after Ramesh Vyas’s illegal telephone exchange was busted. This time too it is Vyas’s interrogation that led the Crime Branch to Mehta.

Mehta is considered to be the kingpin of the first match fixing scandal that broke in 2000,wherein he allegedly roped in Hansie Cronje,and Indian cricketers including Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja. Arrested earlier too,with Ramesh Vyas,Mehta is infamous for running illegal telephone exchanges,running bets and even fixing matches. With underworld threats in the 1990s,Mehta even sought police protection which was given for a brief period.