Bookie's links with cricketers revealed

NDTV: "The betting scandal in cricket resurfaced today. The interrogation of Mumbai-based bookie Shobhan Mehta threw up the names of several prominent Indian and foreign cricketers. Among the cricketers whose names emerged today were Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia, Australian batsman Mark Waugh and late South African skipper Hansie Cronje.

The police say Mehta, who was released on bail today, has stated that his betting network ran far and wide across countries such as Pakistan, England and Australia. One May 31, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch had arrested two bookies in the city, who revealed they had been in touch with Mehta regularly for bets surpassing the amount of Rs 15 lakhs.

On the request of Ahmedabad's Crime Branch, Mehta was brought to the city and under interrogation revealed that he had received tips from certain cricketers. "He also revealed that such tips were passed onto bookies by Indian players Azharuddin, Mongia and Jadeja and foreign players like Mark Waugh and later Cronje," said D G Vanjhara, ACP, Crime Branch, Ahmedabad.

While none of the cricketers named by Mehta are currently playing for India, the interrogation did reveal that Mehta had been running a betting syndicate not only in the country, but abroad as well. "He not only ran a betting racket in the entire country but also had links with an Australian bookie Mark Peter and an England based bookie code-named 'Black 0365'. He was also associated with bookies in Pakistan," Vanjhara said.

The scandal broke out in India in April 2000 after the Delhi police accused the then South African captain Hansie Cronje and his teammates Herschelle Gibbs, Pieter Strydom and Nicky Boje of being involved in match fixing. And after a CBI investigation, it was found that there were four Indian players who were also involved. The BCCI, acting on the CBI's report, handed out life bans to Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma, while Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Jadeja were banned for five years for their roles in the scandal.

Former Indian wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia had been exonerated by BCCI, but somehow his name seems to have surfaced again. "I don't have anything to say on this. The CBI has done its inquiry. Everything is out in the open. I am not involved in anyway. I do not know anything, nor have I ever met any of these people," said Mongia.

"This is something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life. I cannot stop people from talking. I do not know how my name crops up," he added. The BCCI, meanwhile, says it will take appropriate action only after receiving a detailed report from the investigating agencies."