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The Tarannum connection
ICC tip sparked IT raid on Tarannum
When income tax officials raided the home of crorepati bar girl Tarannum Khan on August 30, it was on the basis of information from the International Cricket Council, the sports governing body.

An ICC official told Mid Day that the organisation’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), which was probing the betting racket, found that a large sum of money had been transferred via Hawala from Sri Lanka to Mumbai. A woman who had allegedly accompanied a renowned bookie from India to Sri Lanka was believed to be involved in the transaction.

Investigations revealed that the woman was in fact a bar dancer in Mumbai who had contacts with several international cricketers. To further probe the racket, ACSU officials arrived in Mumbai two months ago. Both the ICC and the income tax department are unwilling to comment officially on the revelation.

ICC spokesman John Long told Mid Day from Dubai, “Our officials are always on the move. It is difficult to monitor their schedule. They may have visited India for investigations. The ICC cannot comment on such speculative matters as these kinds of operations and investigations are held secretly and confidentially.”

An IT official said, “We cannot reveal the source from where we acquired the tip-off about Tarannum.”

But a source close to the ACSU said, “The ACSU could not believe that a bar girl could have such a big bungalow, an expensive car and high-class contacts. They discussed the matter with an Indian member of the ICC, who discreetly tipped off Maharashtra’s income tax department.”

The squad is likely to visit Mumbai in a couple of days to authenticate the evidence. They will then proceed to Sri Lanka to question Muttiah Muralitharan and his two cricketer friends who visited Deepa Bar and allegedly participated in match-fixing. They are believed to have used Tarannum to transfer sums of money to Sri Lanka.Meanwhile, the ICC is still probing the discovery Rs 11 lakhs in Sri Lankan batsman Marvan Atapattu’s hotel room in December 2003. Staff of Hotel Pearl Regency found the cash after the second Lanka-England Test.

Atapattu denied the cash was his, saying other people had stayed in the room as well.

I am a bookie: Tarannum
Crorepati bar girl Tarannum Khan confessed to the police that she was indeed a bookie, during her extensive interrogation on Saturday. This contradicts what she told the media on Tuesday. Speaking in fluent English, she admitted to crime branch officials that she has taken bets on cricket matches, albeit relatively small ones.

“I used to take small bets of Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 from various people,” she told the police. She then used the money she earned to make bigger bets herself. Tarannum has reportedly bet Rs 10 lakh on cricket matches. She said she made and took all bets on her mobile phone.

Four affairs
During her interrogation, Tarannum also revealed a few details about her personal life. She told the police that she’d had four affairs with patrons of Deepa Bar, where she used to work.

“But I stayed away from the young crowd. Youngsters aren’t regular patrons,” she said. One of her affairs was with Humayun, one of the owners of Deepa Bar.

Tarannum also said she used her looks to extract money from customers, making them believe she would sleep with them in return. “I made them believe that I would have an affair with them. But ultimately I just wanted their money,” she said.

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