CBI has evidence of Ajay Sharma’s links with bookies

"The investigation so far indicate that Ajay is having close links with certain top bookies and his involvement in match-fixing is also likely," the sources told UNI on Tuesday.

Ajay Sharma is at present in England doing duty for the Padiham cricket club. His examination is likely to be done on his return to India, the sources said.

The bureau is investigating charges of match-fixing, betting and other malpractices made against Indian cricketers, coaches and administrators. The probe was handed over to the agency by the government in April end and the preliminary inquiry (PE) was recorded on May two.

Earlier, the sources had said that the investigation has thrown up the name of a former Delhi captain for being involved in the malpractice. They, however, did not identify who the cricketer was.

The premier investigating agency has come across certain telephone numbers, of land lines and various cell phones, used by the cricketer and are examining the destinations of the calls.

The CBI has examined some bookies in Mumbai in connection with the match-fixing scandal, agency sources said here. The sources said the bookies were identified during the investigations carried out by various other agencies, including the Delhi Police.

The agency’s Special Crime Branch unit in the metropolis examined these bookies and recorded their statements, the sources said. The agency managed to find out names of some bookies and their chain which is alleged to be operating from Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. Delhi Police sources have said some top bookies from Mumbai were involved in the scandal and police was zeroing in on them.

Meanwhile, the agency has received a communication from the Mumbai police that it was in possession of no taped conversation relating to the scandal as mentioned in the media.

The agency, meanwhile, has begun examining the transcripts available on a website of players and other Board officials talking about match-fixing, video taped secretly by former cricketer Manoj Prabhakar, the sources said here.

The transcripts of noted cricket commentator Narottum Puri, former Indian cricket team manager Ajit Wadekar, master batsman of yesteryears Sunil Gavaskar, former cricketers Navjot Singh Sidhu, Kiran More and senior Maharashtra Police officer Rakesh Maria were being examined by the agency, the sources said.

Referring to the deposition of former all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar before the CBI, the sources said the agency was probing all aspects. A statement without proof hardly mattered before the investigating agency.

However, speculation was rife in the CBI headquarters that the Preliminary Enquiry registered on May two into the scandal, might be closed in the absence of any evidence, the sources said.

In another development, the CBI was contemplating filing another case in the match-fixing scandal to probe alleged bungling in the allotment of rights to telecast cricket matches, the sources said.

In a related development, lawyer of cricket icon Kapil Dev sent legal notices to Prabhakar and the owners of website tehelka.com on Monday demanding a public apology from them for causing damage to his reputation by levelling "false" allegation of match fixing against him.