Karnataka Premier League (KPL) Betting And Spot-Fixing Scandal: ICC, BCCI Reach Out to Bengaluru Police
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has contacted the city police in connection with the scandal-hit local T20 tournament it had approved.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reached out to Bengaluru Police, promising co-operation in probing the multi-faceted Karnataka Premier League (KPL) betting scam, an official said on Saturday. “The ICC has contacted Bengaluru Police regarding the KPL betting scam. We are in co-operation with each other,” Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kuldeep Jain, confirmed with IANS.
In 2000, ICC had established the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), which works with multiple stakeholders, including member boards, players, support staff, law enforcement agencies and betting regulators to thwart corruption in the game.
Alex Marshall is the General Manager of ACU, while Ronnie Flanagan is its Chairman. Similarly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also contacted the city police in connection with the scandal-hit local T20 tournament it had approved.
“BCCI has extended all co-operation… They are also collecting information from us and we are on the same lines against the KPL betting scam,” said Jain.
Jain said that BCCI officials have met the police in Bengaluru in an informal meeting. BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit also wrote to the city police promising co-operation, Jain said.
According to Kuldeep Jain, some retired cricketers came forward to help the police in nipping the betting evil in the bud.
Meanwhile, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Treasurer Vinaya Mruthyunjaya said the state cricket body had no information of the ICC contacting the police. “We have no information of ICC having contacted the police,” Mruthyunjaya told IANS.
He did not clarify if officials from KSCA, a body affiliated to the BCCI, had accompanied the BCCI officials while meeting the police in the city, and the level of cooperation and coordination among the ICC, BCCI and KSCA pertaining to the KPL betting scam.
It is also not known how much data in GB volume has been submitted to the police, who sought complete details of KPL teams, scorecards, video footages, phone numbers and other details linked to the tournament.
There is also no clarity if ICC or BCCI had given any specific instructions to the state association in connection with the KPL.
The senior police officer said the investigation into the KPL betting scam was continuing, without confirming if any of the female escorts or cheer girls deployed for “honey-trapping” cricketers were identified or arrested.
Run by the KSCA, KPL, an intra-state T20 tournament, has been mired in betting, honey trapping and spot-fixing controversies. The betting scandal led to the arrest of a string of cricketers, bookies, team owners and others.
Started in 2008 and envisioned to be a feeder tournament to the cash-rich BCCI-owned Indian Premier League (IPL), KPL has emerged as a leading local franchise-based league.