IT joins probe in fixing

NEW DELHI, May 22:
In more trouble for the arrested cricketers and bookies in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, the Income Tax Department has begun a probe into alleged hawala and illegal cash transactions and will question them.
The I-T Department has got in touch with the investigators of the Delhi police and initiated “tax evasion and suspected hawala dealings” related probe into the latest allegations of spot-fixing.
The department, according to official sources today, will question and record statements of all those who have been booked by special units of both the Delhi and Mumbai police.
Three IPL cricketers–India pacer S Sreesanth, players of the Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, Bollywood actor Vindoo Randhawa and a number of bookies mainly from Mumbai and Delhi have been arrested after the IPL scandal was busted last Thursday.
The department “will move” for questioning the players and bookies arrested so far in the case and will work in close coordination with other law enforcement agencies working on this case, a department official said.
I-T investigators will also go through the tax returns and transactions of the people who are found to have been involved in spot-fixing to detect unreported income, the official added.
Another financial investigation agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), is also expected to proceed against spot-fixers as it is planning to initiate a money laundering probe in this regard soon.
The department had already probed suspected spot-fixing instances last year after a TV news channel sting accused five players of indulging in the malpractice.
“The department had recorded some statements then (last year). Some information was being worked upon and now the I-T has initiated fresh investigations into the clandestine and unreported payments and cash as found out by the police departments in the IPL,” an official privy to the development said.
The I-T Department has also sought business records of some hawala dealers based in the national capital, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bangalore and Chennai through its probe units located in these cities.
The department, during a similar probe last year, had detected some suspected instances similar to spot-fixing but the probe in that case could not be concluded as they were many people involved, the official said.
Meanwhile, disgraced cricketer Ajit Chandila was allegedly paid at least Rs 49 lakh by bookies for spot- fixing IPL matches this season and of this Rs15 lakh was given for one over in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 17 but he was arrested before the game, investigators claimed today.
The investigators also voiced suspicion about an arrested bookie Sunil Bhatia fixing matches of the Bangladesh Premier League earlier after interrogating him. The bookie had also claimed that he fixed some matches of the rebel Indian Cricket League, police sources said.
The three arrested players Sreesanth, Chandila and Ankit Chavan over a period of time spoke to some of the bookies, they said.
In another development, sources said, a set of bookies struck a deal with Chandila in early April to fix one of the matches and the player allegedly agreed to do so for the May 17 match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers in Hyderabad. But they could not do so as they were arrested a day before.
According to the ongoing probe, this will be the fifth match targeted by the bookies for spot-fixing, the previous ones being the matches on May 5,9,12 and 15. The spot-fixing could not happen on the May 12 match as the two players whom bookies roped in did not play a senior police official said.
At least 18 people — three IPL players, four former players and 11 bookies and their assistants — have been arrested since last Thursday in connection with the scandal that rocked the cricketing world. Chandila, Sreesanth and Ankit Chavan are the three IPL players who were arrested.
Chandila, the official said, received Rs 25 lakh for the May 5 match from a set of bookies and Rs 15 lakh for the May 17 match from another set. However, this could not be executed as the players and bookies were arrested a day before.
Chandila also allegedly received Rs 9 lakh from another bookie. However, the official said, the player had to return Rs 20 lakh out of the Rs 25 lakh he received from bookies as he forgot to give the pre-decided signal before bowling his over.
He had received Rs 15 lakh from a Patiala-based property dealer Deepak Kumar on behalf of a bookie, who is absconding, they said. “Kumar was contacted by the bookie to fix a player and he contacted Chandila in April.
“Chandila told him that he will do their job. He did not do as the bookies wanted initially and kept on telling them that he will do it for them soon. Finally a deal was fixed for the May 17 match. He took the advance of Rs 15 lakh in April itself,” the official said.
The questioning of former Ranji player Babu Rao Yadav and Sunil Bhatia, who were arrested earlier this week, have led to suspicion about fixing BPL players, sources said. However, they said they have no concrete evidence to suggest that fixing indeed took place.
According to police sources, Bhatia contacted Yadav in 2007 when the rebel Indian Cricket League was on and tried using him for fixing some matches. The bookie claimed that he had fixed ICL matches, they said.
“After the ICL players were banned, he went to play in Kolkata League. He was getting only Rs 2000-3,000 and wanted to earn more. It was then Bhatia told him that he has good contacts with a prominent Bangladeshi and he will help get him into a team playing Bangladesh Premier League.
“Both went to Bangladesh. Bhatia is a known fixer and an ICC anti-corruption unit spotted him there. As he got a whiff about it, Bhatia and Yadav returned to India,” the official said.
The official said Bhatia, who has “good contacts” with Bangladeshi players, may have fixed matches there but they have nothing to corroborate this. “Bhatia has claimed he has fixed matches in Bangladesh Premier League. He said he knows some Bangladeshi players very well,” he said.
Asked whether the three Rajasthan Royals players spoke to bookies directly, he said, “initially they were contacted by friends like Jiju and Amit Singh. Slowly, slowly the players also got in contact with the bookies,” the official claimed.
About evidences against Sreesanth, he said they have enough evidence against the player.
On his relations between Sreesanth and Jiju, he said the latter has been serving the pacer in different capacities.
“He is sometimes a driver for him, a friend, a fellow player. Sreesanth was very supportive of Jiju. They used to move together. We have CCTV footages.”
The official also said bookie Ramesh Vyas and actor Vindoo Dara Singh have no link with this case.
Mumbai, a local court today remanded six bookies, associated with IPL betting syndicate, in judicial custody till June 5 after rejecting the plea of the Mumbai crime branch which sought their remand and reprimanding it for deficient probe in the case.
“Despite ample opportunities provided, the investigating officer has not pointed out who has been cheated and why,” Additional Metropolitan Magistrate M N Saleem observed, apparently referring to cheating and forgery charges slapped on the accused, while remanding them in judicial custody.
The accused have been booked under relevant sections of Information Technology Act, Bombay Gambling Prohibition Act and IPC Sections including 420, 465, and others related to cheating and forgery.
The magistrate also reprimanded the police for seeking extension of their remand on grounds similar to those on which they had earlier secured their remand.
The crime branch had on May 20 told the court that they want to elicit information about the absconding bookies from the arrested bookies.
“There is no sufficient ground for police custody,” the magistrate observed.
The crime branch told the court that it wants to confront the six accused with Bollywood actor Vindoo Randhawa, son of late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, arrested yesterday for his alleged association with bookies.
Mumbai Police has so far arrested six bookies – Ramesh Vyas, Pandurang Kadam, Ashok Vyas, Neeraj Shah, Pravin Bera and Pankaj Shah alias Lotus – in connection with the IPL betting case.
All the bookies have filed bail applications and the Mumbai crime branch will file a reply on May 24.
The crime branch officials also said voice samples of the accused have to be taken and they have to confront the accused with each other.
However, defence lawyers pointed out that the custody is not required for recording voice samples or for confronting with other accused.
On May 20, the city police, which had arrested six bookies in connection with the IPL betting, told the court that they would investigate if the Pakistanis with whom the bookies were in touch had any terror links or connections with the organised crime syndicates.
The arrested bookies were allegedly not only accepting the betting but were also connecting calls from bookies in Pakistan and Dubai.
In Madurai, the Madras High Court today issued notice on a PIL seeking a direction to the Government to take over the management and administration of the Indian Premier League and Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) as it had “failed” to promote the game.
The notice was issued by Madurai bench of justices M M Sundresh and R Mala to the Secretary, Department of Culture and Youth Affairs, IPL Chairman, BCCI President, among others. It is returnable by June six.
In his petition, city-based lawyer V Santhakumaresan alleged that conduct of certain activities and receipt of income were totally commercial and there was no element of charity in the conduct of BCCI.
The surplus generated by BCCI was shared with players instead of being used for promoting the game, he claimed.
Santhakumaresan also sought a direction CBI to conduct investigation into the entire affairs relating to sources of income, financial status, betting and match-fixing.
He said BCCI should desist from using the name “Indian cricket team” for its team till disposal of the petition while pleading for a stay on the IPL 20-20 matches to be held from today till May 26. (PTI)

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