IPL scam: Shastri likely to be on BCCI commission, arrests continue

New Delhi/Panaji/Lucknow : Former India captain Ravi Shastri and BCCI treasurer Ajay Shirke are expected to be part of the three-member commission set up to investigate Chennai Super Kings chief Gurunath Meiyappan’s alleged role in the sensational spot-fixing scandal which unravelled during the Indian Premier League (IPL). Monday saw six bookies being arrested in Goa and eight in Lucknow for running bets on Sunday’s IPL final.

As the arrests continued to take place across the country, the pressure was mounting on BCCI, especially its president N. Srinivasan, to control rampant corruption in the game.

Srinivasan outrightly rejected calls for his resignation ahead of the IPL final at Kolkata Sunday and later Monday he criticised the media for “hounding” him as he arrived in Chennai.

Srinivasan’s resignation is sought because he is the father-in-law of Gurunath, who remains in Mumbai Police custody for his alleged involvement in the scam.

The BCCI reiterated Monday that they will take strict action if Gurunath and the three arrested Rajasthan Royals players — former India pacer S. Sreesanth, and Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — are found guilty.

“The anti-corruption unit of the BCCI is looking into these matters. The Supreme Court has given it 15 days’ time, it will give its report, it will come up before the disciplinary committee. Be rest assured, we are going to take a very tough view on the matter,” said politician and BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley, who also heads the board’s Disciplinary Committee.

Regarding the probe into Gurunath’s involvement, a retired judge of a high court is likely to accompany Shastri and Shirke in the committee, a top BCCI official told IANS.

The arrest of Royals’ Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan May 16 led to a police crackdown on bookie networks across India.

Monday witnessed eight bookies being arrested in Lucknow for betting on the IPL final, police said.

Police seized Rs.8 lakh in cash, two laptops, 18 mobile phones and a car from the bookies.

Deputy Inspector General of Police R.K. Chaturvedi told IANS that the bookies had connections with rackets being run in Delhi, Mumbai and overseas.

Police raided a house in Fazalganj area of Lucknow after a tip-off and made the arrests, Chaturvedi added.

Six bookies were arrested Monday by Goa Police for accepting bets on the final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

Police Inspector Nilesh Rane said over 40 mobile phones and half a dozen laptops were seized from the arrested bookies along with cash the amount of which was not specified.

The arrests followed a raid at a rental holiday home in Candolim, a popular beach village, 15 km from Panaji.

“They had been camping in Goa for about 45 days to collect bets for the IPL,” Rane said.

Another bookie, Sanjay Baffna, was detained by Tamil Nadu Police which claimed that he was one of the key people in the IPL betting racket, police said.

A statement from the Crime Branch said Baffna was caught at Chennai airport while trying to enter India from South Africa. Police had earlier issued a lookout notice for him.