Sunil Dara has confessed to the police that Mehta used to fix the Pakistanis and tell a trusted few how much was to be paid. Then they would pool their resources. Bookies, on the other hand, will have nothing to do with strangers. If you do not come with a reference, he will not take your bet. When you call, you first mention your name and then your reference.
Calculations often go awry.
As in the case of Mumbai hotelier Annappa Shetty, who recently shot himself with his revolver at his flat near Dahisar station while his wife and three children had gone shopping. The man, who wants to be remembered as whistle blower, had also called Kalra from his cell. In all, Shetty had a debt of Rs 4 crore and could return only around Rs 1.2 crore even after selling most of his property. The dead man allegedly had links with the Dawood Ibrahim gang. The gang is said to have a strong grip on the bookies both in the subcontinent and outside.