MUMBAI
Says family silver is in the wrong hands of brother-in-law Chheda.
Seated in his sprawling sea-facing house in Walkeshwar is Vinod Bhagat, 63, a businessman and a matka (gambling) enthusiast. Almost two months after the sessions court sentenced six people to life imprisonment for the 2008 murder of his brother and “matka king” Suresh Bhagat, Vinod feels that justice has been done. However, he also believes that more needs to be done.
“It has been a five-year struggle to get justice for my brother.
I have more evidence to prove how he was wrongly framed in almost 14 cases in the past, including narcotics, attempt to murder, gambling and custody of weapons. His life was always under threat. If these accused had been taken into custody much earlier, my brother would not have been murdered,” Vinod said.
He said that Suresh’s brother-in-law Kiran Chheda, who is currently running Suresh’s Kalyan matka, is wanted in many cases. “He has falsely implicated my brother in several cases. He runs the family matka business but I will take it from his hands. I know it’s in the wrong hands,” added Vinod.
Quite candidly, he attributed the reason for his brother’s death to the successful matka empire started by his father and later taken over by Suresh. As he laid a deck of cards and points chart on the table to explain the rules of matka, he said, “Matka has been a boon and bane in my family.
My relationship with this business is that of love-hate. I left the business 35 years back when I lost my three-month-old son to illness. Matka killed my step brother Vasant Shah and my brother.” However, Vinod is keen to get back into the business.
Vinod’s father, Kalyanji Bhagat, a grocery shop owner based in Worli, was one of the people who pioneered matka gambling in 1962 when he started accepting bets based on the opening and closing rates of cotton traded on the New York wholesale market.
“Those days, punters used to bet on these numbers. Later, people placed bets on open and close rates of wholesale cotton traded on Bombay’s cotton exchange at Sewri,” said Vinod. From here, matka took over the whole country, with operators, punters and bookies flourishing to make profits.
According to Vinod, matka has lost its “old charm” and is deceitful now. “There are still more than 25 matka bazaars Main, Kalyan, Milan etc in Mumbai and lakhs gamble on it, day in and day out. Some of the popular bazaars, such as Main, Kalyan and Milan, rake in a profit of Rs6-8 crore a month.
The total worth of matka is more than Rs100 crore in a month in the country. These days, those who operate matkas rake in the moolah and punters and bookies are cheated in a big way,” said Vinod.
He added that Mumbai used to be a den of more than 5,000 retail addas. “With strict police raids, the addas have vanished. They are spread over places such as Igatpuri, Nashik, Pune, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar,” he said, adding that punters of Mumbai are increasingly using cell phones and internet to place bets.
“The matka operators have 60 to 100 phones on them and gambling happens through the day.”
Vinod also said it is high time matka is legalised in the country. “I believe that if it is legalised, the number of crimes will only reduce. It is also a way of empowerment, especially among the poor. I will personally appeal to the home ministry to legalise it,” he added.
How it all began
Vinod’s father, Kalyanji Bhagat, a grocery shop owner based in Worli, was one of the people who pioneered matka gambling in 1962 when he started accepting bets based on the opening and closing rates of cotton traded on the New York wholesale market.
From here, matka took over the whole country, with operators, punters and bookies flourishing to make profits.
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why
Reddit suffers outage with ‘upstream connect error’ message, says 'currently investigating...'
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How has Jasprit Bumrah fared in Tests in Australia?
Delhi records coldest night of the season, temp drops to...
Crossing the Line: Ukraine's Use of Storm Shadow Missiles and the Escalation of Conflict
When Malaika Arora talked about the controversial ‘instant pleasure’ ad, it was for…
This is the world’s most expensive shopping street, not Fifth Avenue, New Bond Street, it is...
Big setback for Gautam Adani, Kenya cancels Rs 6216 crore deal with Adani Group due to...
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Viral video: Middle-Class man lives dream of having tea at Taj Hotel, netizens applauds
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Gifting: Discover Heirloom Pashmina by Pashmina.com
Effortless Relocations: The Perks Of Professional Removalists In Melbourne
Watch: Pakistan fan with 'Imran Khan' poster asked to leave Hobart stadium in Australia
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for...
What is demisexuality? Everything you need to know about this lesser-known sexual orientation
WATCH: World’s shortest woman meets world’s tallest woman, video goes viral
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Predicted playing XIs, Perth weather forecast and pitch report
IND vs AUS: When will Rohit Sharma join India squad? Check latest update
'Scam 2024': Diljit Dosanjh lookalike pranks people on Pune streets, video goes viral
Delhi Air Pollution: Centre announces staggered work timings for govt employees; check details
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio loses nearly 80 lakh subscribers in just 30 days, BSNL adds...
IND vs AUS, 1st Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Australia match
This country has most expensive passport in world, not US, UK, UAE, it costs Rs...
Amitabh Bachchan opens up on Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan divorce rumours
Amid rising air pollution, Delhi-NCR's crematorium records cleanest air; check AQI here
Revolutionising Medical Imaging: Venudhar Rao Hajari’s impact on healthcare technology
Abhishek Gupta and Onevision Media: Scaling brands on social media
Video shows Korean girl eating jalebi for first time, her reaction to Indian sweet goes viral
Cristiano Ronaldo confirms THIS YouTube star as his next guest, says, 'Will break Internet'
Delhi Assembly Elections: AAP releases first list of 11 candidates for 2025 polls
Adani Group's FIRST REACTION after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
Instagram introduces new feature, know how to reset app's algorithm, change your feed
No mention of Aaradhya Bachchan in Amitabh Bachchan's post on birthdays, it happened recently
Oppo Find X8 and X8 Pro launched in India, check specifications, price, other details
Charges against Gautam Adani: BJP's scathing attack on Congress, questions timing of development
Jasprit Bumrah's BIG statement on taking up Perth test captaincy, says, 'tactically better...'
Blackout on breaks: Company imposes no-sick-leave policy until 2025
Drug-laden terrorists on India's western, northern frontiers
Mohammad Shami trolls Sanjay Manjrekar over IPL auction bid prediction, says, 'Baba ki...'
IND vs AUS Test: When and where to watch 1st match of Border-Gavaskar trophy, know details here
CAQM amends Grap Stages III, IV, enforces stricter measures in Delhi-NCR amid air pollution woes
Malayalam actor Meghanathan passes away at 60 after suffering from...
Adani Green Energy's FIRST reaction after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
'Keep me out of...': Pakistani Instagram star Mathira on MMS leak controversy
Delhi Air Pollution: AQI marginally improves from 'severe' to 'very poor' category
Meet actress who worked with Alia Bhatt, was asked to 'compromise', connected to Aishwarya Rai by..
Aishwarya Rai’s remark on Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘habits’ goes viral amid divorce rumours with Abhishek
Rekha's BOLD statement about Amitabh Bachchan goes viral, 'why hurt...'
Meet man, IITian who built Rs 5493 crore firm, has this Mukesh Ambani connection, he is from...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 21, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
‘I didn’t have time to…’: When AR Rahman revealed having ‘agreement’ before marriage to Saira Banu
Amitabh Bachchan praises Abhishek Bachchan's new film, netizens ask 'kash ye Aishwarya...'
Viral video: Woman's sizzling belly dance to 'Namak' impresses internet, watch
Hardik Pandya banned, Mumbai Indians captain to miss first match of IPL 2025 due to...
Meet man who studied at IIM, IIT, then built Rs 1160000000 company, got inspired by…
Meet woman, who quit as dentist for UPSC exam, became IAS officer with AIR...