IPL spot-fixing: Bookies also supplied women to players,say cops

A third player,also of the Rajasthan Royals,too accepted the services of escorts provided by the bookies,the transcripts reveal. But this player was apparently not involved in spot-fixing. Biju alias Jiju,the alleged go-between who has been described as a friend of Sreesanth’s,too apparently availed of the escorts’ services. One bookie was Rajasthan Royals pacer until last year

Both Sreesanth and Biju had women with them when they were picked up by the police in Mumbai’s Khar area in the early hours of Thursday. The two men had allegedly visited the RG’s nightclub,and were in separate cars.

Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar,who made no reference to this part of their investigations in his press conference,confirmed to The Indian Express: “Yes,such facts of bookies also providing women to two of the arrested players do figure in the transcripts. But we are not pressing any charges on the women in question since they are not connected with spot-fixing.”

Kumar’s press conference also had references to the “kingpin” of the racket. Top Delhi Police sources said this suspect was called “Salmaan”, and he was based in Dubai. The police got their first leads in the spot-fixing case after intercepting this individual’s telephone conversations,the sources said.

Police had asked the home ministry in March for permission to tap this man’s phone. Sources said Salmaan may or may not be his real name,but confirmed that this individual figured in their database of persons indulging in anti-national activity,and who have connections with the underworld in Dubai and Mumbai.

It was some time in April that investigators picked up conversations between Salmaan and several bookies which clearly indicated that some matches of the forthcoming IPL season would be “fixed”,sources said. As the circle of suspects widened,the police sought a second round of permissions from the home ministry.

After Wednesday’s match between the Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians ended in Mumbai,the Delhi Police took the unprededented step of informing both the home ministry and IPL organisers of the coming swoop. It was,however,not clear if they were also told who the specific targets of the action would be.