"Sreesanth, 2 other players arrested in IPL spot-fixing scandal"

 

Sreesanth, 2 other players arrested in IPL spot-fixing scandal
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Thu, May 16 2013. 09 34 AM IST

New Delhi: Paceman S. Sreesanth and two other bowlers belonging to the Rajasthan Royals IPL team who were arrested on Thursday for spot-fixing, received upto Rs60 lakh for one over for giving away runs as per arrangements with bookies having underworld connections abroad.

The sensational arrests of the three players in the early hours of the morning in Mumbai by the Special Cell of Delhi Police has cast a shadow over the ongoing IPL tournament even as the players have been suspended by the BCCI.

At a crowded press conference in the capital, Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said that the Special Cell had hundreds of hours of recordings of phone conversations between the players and bookies, 14 of whom have also been arrested. More arrests are on the anvil but the role of no other player, Indian or foreign, has come to light.

The players and bookies, who have been brought to Delhi, have been charged under section 420 (cheating) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) but they are also likely to be booked under the stringent MCOCA, Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, which could land them in jail without bail and their confessions before a DCP level officer will be admissible in court.

Kumar gave a detailed account of the conversations that took place between bookies and the arrested Rajasthan Royals players — paceman Sreesanth and spinners Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila.

Kumar revealed explosive details of the modus operandi followed by bookies and the cricketers, giving audio-visual proof of three IPL matches which were manipulated. Kumar revealed how bookies gave the three players specific approval codes which were used to signify a compromised over during the matches.

“In certain overs they (the players) were supposed to give away a certain amount of runs. The bookies gave players instructions that they have to indicate that they would give away these runs,” Kumar said.

“The instructions were ‘put the towel in your trousers or take time setting up the field or take out the shirt or the vests that you are wearing’,” added Kumar, elaborating on the signals that the players used to convey their consent for the bookies’ instructions.

The top cop listed three Rajasthan Royals’ matches — on 5, 9 and 15 May against Pune Warriors, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians respectively — where spot-fixing took place.

“The first instance that came to our notice was Rajasthan Royals vs Pune Warriors on 5 May. In this match, as already agreed upon, Chandila gave 14 runs in the second over of his spell but he forgot to give the predetermined signal due to which the bookies could not bet in this match,” Kumar said.

“This led to an argument and demands for return of money. Rs20 lakh was advanced to him and another 20 was to be given later. He had to return the money,” he added.

A person familiar with the matter said these players had been under the scanner for their role in spot-fixing in some of the earlier IPL matches.

Rajasthan Royals chief executive officer Raghu Iyer said that the three players were picked up by Delhi police last night and the team management was co-operating with the investigation.

“Rajasthan Royals has zero tolerance for corruption and we will take action, if charges are proved,” he said.

In a press statement on their website, Rajasthan Royals said, “We have been informed that 3 of our players have been called in for investigation on spot fixing in matches. We are completely taken by surprise. We do not have the full facts at this point and are unable to confirm anything. We are in touch with the BCCI on this matter. We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game.”

Spot-fixing refers to fixing a certain limited outcome in a match—such as delivering a no-ball or being dismissed in a particular way.

The most high-profile instance of spot-fixing emerged in 2010 when reporters from the now defunct News of the World video-taped a bookie accepting money from them and confirming that Pakistani test bowlers Mohammed Asif and Mohammad Amir would bowl no-balls at pre-ordained times during a test match with England.

The Delhi Police’s special cell played a key role in the 2001-02 investigations involving now deceased South African captain Hansie Cronje who subsequently confessed to fixing matches.