Kapil Dev deposes before CBI

NEW DELHI, SEPT 7: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday questioned cricketing icon Kapil Dev in the wake of allegations l...

NEW DELHI, SEPT 7: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday questioned cricketing icon Kapil Dev in the wake of allegations levelled by former all rounder Manoj Prabhakar that the former India skipper had offered him bribe to under perform in a one-dayer.

Dev is among the last of cricketers to depose before the agency before it submits its interim report to Union Sports Minister S S Dhindsa. Kapil Dev, whose premises were raided by Income Tax thorities on July 20 during a nation-wide swoop on cricketers, administrators and bookies, was questioned by the agency’s special Crime Branch.

Dev, who has been denying all charges levelled by Prabhakar, has also received implicit support from former team manager Ajit Wadekar, wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia, batsman Navjot Sidhu and bowler Prashant Vadiya, named by Prabhakar as witnesses to a commotion between him and Kapil over the alleged bribe offer.

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Prabhakar had alleged that Kapil offered him a bribe of Rs 25 lakh to underperform in a one-dayer in Sri Lanka against Pakistan. The agency decided to call Kapil Dev only after recording statement of former skipper Ravi Shastri, who is the only person who corroborated Prabhakar’s claim that he had confided in him following the alleged offer.

Shastri had reportedly told a website immediately after Prabhakar went public with his allegation that he was approached by Prabhakar and was briefed about the alleged offer for under performing in the match.

The CBI has so far recorded statements of 15 cricket-related persons including BCCI president A C Muthiah, secretary Jaywant Lele, treasurer Kishore Rungta, Delhi Cricket Association secretary Sunil Dev, former BCCI president I S Bindra, former team manager Ajit Wadekar, cricketers Manoj Prabhakar, Mohammed Azharuddin, Navjot Sidhu, Nayan Mongia, Ajay Jadeja, Prashant Vaidya and Nikhil Chopra besides some bookies including Mukesh Gupta.

The CBI will submit an interim report on the scandal to the Government soon about the investigations made so far. The report is likely to make some recommendations to the Government as preventive measures against alleged practice of fixing cricket matches in the future.

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