Of bookies and their worlds

NEW DELHI, NOV. 2. It is an intricate world of wheels within wheels, of people with funny aliases and secretive networkings.

The galaxy of bookies and punters abounds with names with unusual aliases. Delhi's Mukesh Kumar Gupta is John to some and M.K. to others.

Mumbai's Anil Nagada is also known as Anil Steel. The CBI does not say why. But there is an explanation for the alias of Chennai-based Uttam Chand. He is known as Topi (Hindi for cap) because his father sold caps at one point of time. Delhi's Anand Sagar Saxena is also Chikna. Delhi-based punter Sanjeev Kohli is Tipu and the bookie Sanjeev Sacher is Babloo.

Delhi bookie Naveen Sachdeva is also known as Tinkoo while Mumbai-based communication expert Daleep Seth is better known as Satyam Baba. The CBI report makes Mukesh Kumar Gupta alias M.K. alias John as the kingpin. How did he get into the business? Here is what the CBI said: ``Gupta was a clerk in a bank till 1989 though he had started taking interest in betting a year after India won the world cup in 1983.

Once, while wandering around his home in the walled city area, his attention was drawn to people betting small amounts on a cricket match, and started betting with them on a small scale after banking hours but soon realised the potential of big money, the agency said quoting Gupta's testimony.

Keeping in mind the low level of knowledge on cricket among the people involved in it, Gupta updated his knowledge and gathered a lot of information, the agency said, adding ``Gupta used to place intelligent bets and made more money than other people involved in the betting.'' By the year 1986, Gupta amassed a lot of money and opened account with the biggest bookies of that time `Mama and Kamte' in Mumbai and ``since he had to give business on a regular basis to Mama and Kamte, he became a bookie on a partnership with Anand Saxena in Delhi,'' the agency said and narrated how Gupta started his ``investment'' by paying Rs. 2,000 to Ajay Sharma for scoring a quickfire knock in a club match in Delhi.

And there was no looking back for Mukesh alias M.K. alias John as his relationship with Sharma brought him closer to many a top player across the globe.

- PTI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Azhar a 'major link' for underworld operations
Next     : Dhindsa to discuss report with Muthiah