IPL spot-fixing: More players involved, says Delhi police commissioner

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar has claimed that more players from different IPL teams are involved in the spot-fixing saga that has rocked the entire nation. Spot-fixing in IPL: Full Coverage» Talking to Zee News Kumar said that they have concrete evidence of involvement of more players other than S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, the disgraced trio of Rajasthan Royals, who were arrested in the last week for their alleged role in spot-fixing in IPL 6. Meanwhile, Ajit Chandila was allegedly paid Rs 12 lakh by a bookie for spot-fixing in IPL 6 but the attempt to manipulate matches failed as the cricketer could not play many matches, Delhi Police sources claimed on Thursday. Interestingly, the sources said, Chandila gave three cheques of Rs four lakh each, two of which bounced, after the alleged bookie-cum-fixer Sunil Bhatia insisted on repayment of the money as he did not deliver as promised under the deal. The sources also said police has issued Look Out Notices against some persons in connection with the spot-fixing scandal besides asking official broadcaster Setmax to provide raw footage of all matches involving Rajasthan Royals. Investigators claimed that Bhatia paid the money to the off-spinner last year and after he could not act according to the fixers, the player was asked to return the money. Chandila, the sources claimed, could play only three to four matches last year and that was why he could not do spot- fixing. Bhatia, they said, wanted Chandila to return the money. The player then gave three cheques of Rs four lakh each to the alleged bookie but the ones dates December 10, 2012 and February 10, 2013 bounced. However, sources said, the third one was encashed and that they have recovered the two bounced cheques from Bhatia. "It was arrested player Babu Rao Yadav who introduced Chandila to Bhatia. After getting a hattrick last year, it was clear that he would play more matches. So the bookie approached him this time again," a senior police official said. On Sreesanth said, the official said, the pacer fought with coach Paddy Upton under the influence of alcohol for not including him in the playing team after the May nine match in which police claimed that he indulged in spot-fixing. "He consumed alcohol and fought with the coach after he was excluded from the team after the May nine match. For this, he was suspended from the team. That was why he was not staying in Hotel Trident where players were staying. He separately booked into Hotel Safotil," the official said.