NEW DELHI, May 16:
Errant Indian pacer S Sreesanth and two other bowlers from Rajasthan Royals team were arrested in a post-midnight operation in Mumbai today by Delhi Police for spot-fixing IPL matches for payments of upto Rs 60 lakhs just for giving away pre-determined number of runs in an over.
A special cell of the Delhi police arrested Sreesanth and his teammates — Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — for indulging in spot-fixing in at least three IPL matches as per arrangements with bookies who have underworld connections abroad.
The players, who have been suspended by the BCCI, have been brought to Delhi and charged under Section 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
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.
The arrested cricketers and the bookies were sent to police custody for five days by a court here for being quizzed in connection with the case.
During the hearing, special cell of Delhi police sought seven days of custodial interrogation of the cricketers and others to unearth the entire conspiracy relating to spot- fixing.
Addressing a crowded press conference, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said 14 bookies have also been arrested in connection with the same case. The Delhi Police are looking for two more bookies but have ruled out any other player’s involvement in the case.
The police revealed explosive details of the modus operandi followed by bookies and the cricketers, giving audio-visual proof of three IPL matches which were manipulated. They also said that they had intercepted calls from a Dubai number.
Kumar listed three Rajasthan Royals’ matches — on May 5, 9 and 15 against Pune Warriors, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians respectively — where spot-fixing took place.
Kumar revealed how bookies gave the caught players specific approval codes which were used to signify a compromised over during the matches.
A shocked BCCI promptly suspended the three players from the IPL and referred the matter to its Disciplinary Committee for further action. A top BCCI source indicated that the trio could be banned for life.
BCCI President N Srinivasan said a few “bad eggs” would not be allowed to sully the game and the punishment handed down to them would be “sufficient deterrent” for others.
“I don’t know about others but I am shocked, the BCCI never expected it. It was a bolt from the blue. We will see whatever is there to be done is done. The sport is clean, we are running it clean and one or two bad eggs cannot sully the game,” Srinivasan told reporters from Kodaikanal in a video conference in Mumbai.
“When we made an example last year (by banning five domestic cricketers involved in spot-fixing), we thought the message was clear and people would not do anything like this. But we will continue with our efforts. The action that we take against these players would be sufficient deterrent,” he added.
Back in Delhi, Kumar unveiled damning evidence of the players’ involvement, revealing the spot-fixing codes that they used to signify their consent to the bookies.
“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 your locket or shirt or the vests that you are wearing’,” added the top cop.
Kumar gave a detailed description of how the players gave a certain number of runs in designated overs on the instruction of bookies in the three matches that were compromised. Kumar said the police team was present in all these matches.
“Our team was present in all these matches. One of the reasons was because those signals could have been given during commercial breaks also, so, to keep track our team was watching the matches at the stadium,” he said.
“Sreesanth was arrested at Carter road in Mumbai, Chandila outside hotel Intercontinental where some of the bookies were staying and Ankeet was arrested from Hotel Trident,” said Kumar.
Asked about how the investigation began, Kumar said, “It was an information that we had that the Mumbai underworld is indulging in match-fixing or spot fixing and contacting a number of bookies and some players are mixed up,” he said.
“We were keeping them under surveillance. The names of these three came to light and we waited for a situation when all three could be pinned down,” he added.
Asked whether Dawood Ibrahim or other underworld dons were involved, Kumar said, “it is difficult to name anybody unless we have a credible proof. There is no evidence on which basis I can name any member of the underworld…But it is sufficient to say that there is an overseas connection and we have definite proof.”
“These three players knew each other and they knew that each of them was involved.”
Asked whether Australia’s Shaun Tait or any other player, Indian or foreigner, is involved, Kumar said “We have no such evidence. According to us, Shaun Tait is not involved.”
The Delhi Police took assistance from the Marine Drive Police Station in South Mumbai under whose jurisdiction Hotel Trident falls. The players were taken to Delhi in an early-morning flight.
Meanwhile, arrested Indian pacer S Sreesanth and 13 others, including two other cricketers of Rajasthan Royals franchise, were today sent to police custody for five days by a court here for being quizzed in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal case.
Delhi police told the court that it seemed more persons are involved and fresh arrests are expected. The probe suggested that bookies had betted on some other players also, it said.
They were produced at the residence of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma inside the Saket court complex and asked to appear one-by-one before him.
Media was barred from entering the magistrate’s residence which was under a thick security blanket.
During the hearing, special cell of Delhi police sought seven days of custodial interrogation of the cricketers and others to unearth the entire conspiracy relating to spot- fixing in three IPL matches involving Rajasthan Royals.
Pubic Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan, appearing for Delhi police, sought police custody of all the accused for confronting them with each other and with electronic evidence, including their laptops, collected during the discreet probe.
The custodial interrogation was required to ascertain, if any, the magnitude of conspiracy, Mohan said adding that the investigators also need to find out the source of money allegedly received by the cricketers for indulging in spot fixing.
During the arguments, the prosecutor claimed that several other matches in the IPL were also fixed and the accused are required to be interrogated regarding that also.
“Huge amount money is involved in the case,” Mohan said.
Seeking seven days remand of all accused, the prosecutor told the court that that there was a “larger conspiracy” in the entire scandal and they need to be probed thoroughly.
The counsel appearing for some of the accused opposed the police plea alleging they were innocent and have been falsely implicated in the case.
The defence counsel alleged foul play and claimed that some other persons were behind the conspiracy.
Reacting to the developments, Rajasthan Royals issued a statement, saying they were shocked by the development.
“We have been informed that three 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,” the statement read.
“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,” it added.
The Sports Ministry asked the IPL authorities to hand down deterrent punishment to the players, saying the Board should ensure that such unethical incidents do not happen in future.
“The Minister of Sports, Jitendra Singh has spoken to Chairman of the IPL Rajeev Shukla on the issue and impressed upon him to take urgent steps to put in place a mechanism to prevent such unethical activities and ensure clean sports in the country,” a release from the Ministry said.
“The Minister also emphasised that strict action be taken against all those who are found guilty to serve as a deterrent to others,” it added.
Ever since the league began in 2008, almost all the seasons have been marred by controversies. Last year also five players were suspended on spot fixing charges. The players were, TP Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors), Amit Yadav, Shalabh Srivastava (Kings XI Punjab) and Abhinav Bali.
And it’s not the first time that Sreesanth is at the centre of a controversy in the IPL. The temperamental paceman was involved in the infamous ‘slapgate’ in 2008.
He was slapped by India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and TV cameras caught Sreesanth crying. However, very recently Sreesanth claimed that he was never slapped but elbowed by the ‘turbanator’.
In the 2012 season, Australia’s Luke Pomersbach was arrested for allegedly misbehaving with the woman, a US citizen of Indian origin, at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel.
A case was registered against him under various Sections of IPC including Section 354 of IPC (outraging modesty of woman), 323 (hurt), 454 (lurking house trespass) and 511 (Punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment).
Then Bollywood star and co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders Shah Rukh Khan was involved in an altercation with security officials and MCA imposed a five-year ban on him for entering the Wankhede stadium.
In another controversy, Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise was terminated by the BCCI for breaching its terms of agreement, in 2011.
It all started with a probe into a case related to organised crime when an alert official of Delhi Police’s Special Cell heard an unusual conversation about giving signals at the cricket ground.
This generated some interest in the official who, after informing his seniors, began finding as to who has to give signals and why.
After monitoring a phone call, the investigation had virtually turned pan-India with some of the bookies based in Gujarat and Mumbai.
After stumbling upon the “accidental” call, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell, which recently had Madan Mohan Oberoi as its Joint Commissioner after completing his tenure with CBI, began monitoring all the phones linked to one call.
And as time passed by, the Delhi Police sensed it was a sensational case.
Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was personally monitoring the case almost on a daily basis and had coordinated with police forces of other states as well so that there is no faux pas.
And finally after recording over 100s of hours of conversations, Delhi Police decided to crack the whip by arresting 14 people including three players of Rajasthan Royals — S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.
Meanwhile, the case for which the monitoring was being done is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Sreesanth, who along with others, is embroiled in a spot-fixing controversy that has rocked the ongoing IPL, today claimed in a Delhi court that he is innocent and was framed in the scandal.
Opposing Delhi police’s plea seeking seven-day custodial interrogation of all the accused, advocate Deepak Prakash, who appeared for Sreesanth, told reporters that he told Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma that the cricketer is innocent and there is no evidence against him in the case.
“The police have not produced any direct evidence against Sreesanth. He is innocent and has been framed in the case”, he said.
He said police only produced certain excerpts of the tapped conversation of bookies in which Sreesanth’s name has not even cropped up anywhere.
Opposing the police’s plea, Prakash said the probe agency has failed to give any preliminary evidence against Sreesanth.
“He (Sreesanth) is totally broken and now I will try for his bail after meeting him in the police station,” he said.
Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, Sreesanth was brought in the court premises in a separate car with his face muffled up with a black cloth. Two policemen accompanied him in the car.
The prosecutor told the court that these cricketers had betted and taken money for every ball and runs in every over.
The police said Chavan had taken money for yesterday’s match also.
The court allowed the police’s plea saying, “five days custody is sufficient for the police to interrogate them (accused).”
In Dubai, the ICC today said it will provide “full support” to the BCCI and Delhi police in the investigation into the arrest of three cricketers, including S Sreesanth, for their alleged role in spot-fixing in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
“The ICC will provide full support to the BCCI and Delhi Police in this investigation. The BCCI’s decision to suspend its three cricketers on corruption charges is a clear indicator of the ICC and its Members’ zero-tolerance approach,” ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said.
Richardson said the ICC has undertaken measures to impose strong penalties on those found to be guilty.
“The ICC and its Members have collectively taken measures to tighten vigilance, strengthen our anti-corruption codes and increase player education programmes as well as offering strict penalties to those found guilty of illegal conduct.
“As such, it is disappointing to see that despite the extensive education programmes delivered by the ICC and the BCCI, there still appears to be some players who remain vulnerable to temptations.
“We have always maintained that the real battle is against the unscrupulous individuals who are preying on the susceptible players.”
Y P Singh, Head of ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), said: “Over the last 12 months or so, we have seen far more examples of players doing the right thing and reporting approaches.”
Singh said players reporting approaches is encouraging.
“This is extremely encouraging and allows us to have the confidence to believe that the vast majority of players are playing the game in the right.
“This incident emphasises the threats all players face and need for the anti-corruption units of the ICC and its Members to work even closer with the various law enforcement agencies around the world who have the necessary investigatory authority and resources.
“We welcome the police’s involvement to root out these corrupters,” he added.(PTI)
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