Indian police said Thursday they had arrested three cricketers including Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, after they allegedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars for spot-fixing. Eleven bookmakers were also arrested in connection with the inquiry, said Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, as he gave details of three games in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) at the centre of the corruption probe.
Kumar told a news conference that more bookmakers were expected to be arrested as part of the inquiry which has already seen the accused players suspended by the Indian cricket authorities. Spot-fixing is an illegal activity where a specific part of a game, but not the outcome, is fixed.
Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests for India, is alleged to have been paid four million rupees (about $75,000) to give away around 14 runs in an over while playing for the Rajasthan Royals against the Kings XI Punjab on May 9. His team-mate Ankeet Chavan had also allegedly agreed to give away the same number of runs in a match on Wednesday night against the Mumbai Indians in exchange for six million rupees ($110,000), police said.
A third player, Ajit Chandila, was believed to have been paid two million rupees ($36,000), for giving away a set number of runs in a match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Pune Warriors, police said. "This much money has exchanged hands. This money was given to them by the bookies," Kumar told a press conference.
"The modus operandi included asking the bowlers to give pre-decided signals with the help of their accessories like watches, wrist bands, neck chains and towels. "The bowlers were asked to concede at least a given number of runs in a pre-determined and mutually decided over. After receiving the signal from the bowler, the bookies would bet heavily and make huge profits." Kumar said the fixing was organised by members of the Mumbai mafia, adding that the overall mastermind was "sitting abroad".
"There is definite proof that the underworld is involved but it would be wrong to take names. There is no concrete evidence on the basis of which I can name any member of the underworld," he said. Sreesanth, 30, and his two team-mates, who have yet to play for India, were arrested by Delhi police in Mumbai after Wednesday night's match and were brought to the national capital for questioning, Kumar said. On Thursday evening, the players were produced before a Delhi court by police.
"The cricketers and others arrested in the case will be in police custody for the next five days," a senior law enforcement official said on condition of anonymity. Angry fans burnt posters of the players during a protest in the southern city of Bangalore. The Rajasthan Royals said they would co-operate fully with police in the investigation.
"We are completely taken by surprise... we will fully co-operate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation," said a statement. "The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game." Sreesanth, whose last Test match was against England two years ago, is no stranger to controversy, and was famously slapped by his team-mate Harbhajan Singh during an IPL match in 2008. Sports Minister Jitendra Singh described the arrests as "unfortunate" and called on the authorities to take strict action against the players if they are found guilty. A mechanism must be put in place "to prevent such unethical activities and ensure clean sports in the country", he said.
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