Bookies gave Chandila Rs 49L for spot-fixing: Delhi Police

Disgraced cricketer Ajit Chandila was allegedly paid at least Rs 49 lakh by bookies for spot- fixing IPL matches this season, claims Delhi Police.

New Delhi: Disgraced cricketer Ajit Chandila was allegedly paid at least Rs 49 lakh by bookies for spot- fixing IPL matches this season and of this Rs.15 lakh was given for one over in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 17 but he was arrested before the game, investigators claimed on Wednesday.

The investigators also voiced suspicion about an arrested bookie Sunil Bhatia fixing matches of the Bangladesh Premier League earlier after interrogating him. The bookie had also claimed that he fixed some matches of the rebel Indian Cricket League, police sources said. The three arrested players Sreesanth, Chandila and Ankit Chavan over a period of time spoke to some of the bookies, they said. In another development, sources said, a set of bookies struck a deal with Chandila in early April to fix one of the matches and the player allegedly agreed to do so for the May 17 match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers in Hyderabad. But they could not do so as they were arrested a day before. According to the ongoing probe, this will be the fifth match targeted by the bookies for spot-fixing, the previous ones being the matches on May 5,9,12 and 15. The spot-fixing could not happen on the May 12 match as the two players whom bookies roped in did not play a senior police official said. At least 18 people -- three IPL players, four former players and 11 bookies and their assistants -- have been arrested since last Thursday in connection with the scandal that rocked the cricketing world. Chandila, Sreesanth and Ankit Chavan are the three IPL players who were arrested. Chandila, the official said, received Rs 25 lakh for the May five match from a set of bookies and Rs 15 lakh for the May 17 match from another set. However, this could not be executed as the players and bookies were arrested a day before. PTI