KSCA panel member arrested in Karnataka Premier League scam

BENGALURU: Sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) probing the alleged match-fixing and spot-fixing in Karnataka Premier League (KPL) matches on Wednesday arrested former cricketer Sudhindra Shinde, coach of Belagavi Panthers and currently member of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) managing committee from Raichur Zone. He was taken into police custody for seven days for interrogation.
Joint commissioner of police (crime) Sandeep Patil said, "We issued notices to 30 persons and asked them to appear before the probe team.It doesn't mean all are accused; some may have been witnesses or knew what was going on. We'll provide all assistance to approvers."
A right-hand batsman, Shinde, 39, represented Karnataka in Ranji Trophy matches and was chief coach of the state Under-19 team a couple of years ago.
Bengaluru city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao said, "Shinde was running the Social Cricket Club and in 2017, owner of Belagavi Panthers Ashfaq Ali Thara, sponsored his club and since then, the network started to spread."
Police suspect that the 2017 and 2018 editions of KPL were marred by the scandal.
Police sources said, "Players of the Social Cricket Club were part of many teams in KPL and performed according to directions from Ali and Shinde. They also influenced team-mates to either fix matches or even do spot-fixing."
A day before Shinde's arrest, a team of 10 CCB officials raided his residence in Indiranagar. In September, police arrested Thara for his alleged role in match-fixing and he's currently in judicial custody. Eight people, including former Karnataka captain CM Goutam, have so far been arrested in this case.
Police sources said Shinde and Ali met around February 2017 and became friends and the duo had a flat in Indiranagar used for match-fixing discussions. They added that players were lured with expensive gifts and vouchers and those who didn't fall in line were ignored at nets and matches.
Meanwhile, investigation officials hinted that bookies and Thara allegedly used a few Sandalwood actresses to lure players.
Officials said at parties during tournaments, some actresses would attend as guests and then lure players. It's not clear how many players fell for it, said an official. The actresses were reportedly paid money, sent on overseas trips or got a chance to act in movies in which bookies had an unofficial stake.
Bhaskar Rao said: "More information cannot be divulged at this state of the investigation. We found that a bus operator, travel agent and an undergarment wholesale dealer were also involved."
Police said cricket academies and clubs were targets for bookies. Patil said, "Another club is under the scanner and we're probing it."