da pinup bet： A year after the probe into the match-fixing allegations wasinitiated, the CBI has now begun probing the “unholy nexus” betweenbookies and the underworld mafia to find out how deep the criminalsection has penetrated into the game
17-Jun-2001A year after the probe into the match-fixing allegations wasinitiated, the CBI has now begun probing the “unholy nexus” betweenbookies and the underworld mafia to find out how deep the criminalsection has penetrated into the game.The sleuths of Special Crime Branch have made some headway in theirinvestigations into the nexus and preliminary reports indicate thatsome bookies were acting at the behest of the underworld mafia infixing cricket games, highly-placed agency sources told PTI in NewDelhi.The investigations were being carried out to bring to light all themurky dealings in cricket besides the “unholy” nexus between theunderworld mafia and some of India’s leading bookies, players andadministrators.The sources said the probe into this nexus and its bearing on nationalsecurity was being conducted both within India and abroad. They saidthe accounts and other important books of bookies had been scrutinisedbut added that this was a wide area and needed a detailedinvestigation before fixing responsibilities.Even though the nexus had been unearthed during the CBI’s probe intothe match-fixing scandal, the dimensions were yet to be fullyestablished, they said.Without disclosing any names, the sources said a “few bookies” hadlinks with the underworld that had been fairly established during theearlier investigation. CBI, the sources said, would cast its net wideto get to the bottom of the nexus between the underworld, bookies,cricketers and the game’s administrators.The investigations into this area began during the tenure of formerCBI Director R K Raghavan who had held a series of meetings with theofficials of other security and intelligence agencies for data on someof the underworld people. The sources said the role of cricketers hadbeen identified and now the main thrust was being given to the role ofbookies.They said the underworld had shown more than an academic interest inthe game and had found that the game could be manipulated. They saidthe entire gamut of the unholy nexus could be unravelled with activeco-operation from police forces in other states including Mumbai andagencies like Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).It is believed that the Mumbai Police and DRI had stumbled uponconversations between some players and the underworld in 1995.However, DRI has written to CBI that it was not in possession of anytapes.The sources drew attention to the warning contained in CBI’s report onmatch-fixing that underworld mafia could be expected to take totalcontrol of the betting racket if it was not checked immediately with afirm hand.Negligence of the police and other authorities in allowing “wageringto turn into an organised racket, particularly with the involvement ofthe underworld mafia”, was cited by CBI as the reason for the warningin its 162-page report, submitted on October 31 last year.The underworld mafia’s involvement is also borne out by thetestimonies of former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin and theteam’s former physiotherapist Ali Irani in which names of mafia donsAnees Ibrahim, Abu Salem and Sharad Shetty found mention.CBI report said Azhar during his questioning had stated that “AbuSalem had rung him up on a couple of occasions to fix matches but hehad refused.”