The current police investigations have revealed little about the origin of betting in the T20 league with investigators having to rely on call records and tapped phone conversations to make arrests, said officials monitoring the Mumbai crime branch investigations.
Even in the case involving Gurunath Meiyappan and Vindoo Dara Singh, Mumbai police are yet to nail financial transactions. Crime branch sources said Gurunath was only to be paid at the end of the season. "Gurunath placed bets with Vindoo on phone, for which he has been arrested," deputy commissioner of police, Satyanarayan Chaudhary had said.
Some officials pointed out that most bookies caught were also active in 2000, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted its investigation. "The bookies are the same, the fixers are the same and the people who connect bookies globally are the same," a crime branch officer said, requesting anonymity. "The prime reason for any cricketing body to not allow an in-depth investigation is because of the possible involvement of prominent politicians, industrialists and other businessmen."
In fact, even the current scandal surfaced due to the differences between the kingmakers in the cricketing world with each one wanting to establish his authority, said the officer.
{{/usCountry}}In fact, even the current scandal surfaced due to the differences between the kingmakers in the cricketing world with each one wanting to establish his authority, said the officer.
{{/usCountry}}"It is just not possible for the bookies to run an international syndicate with financial transactions running into hundreds of crores with just two or three players," said another officer.
Delhi Police upbeat
The Delhi police were more upbeat. They are confident they can file the charge-sheet against 26 persons by mid-June. Sources claimed 'many of the arrested men' fit the criteria 'for the whole syndicate to be booked under the MCOCA', referring to the tough provisions to combat organised crime.
Delhi police said Sreesanth named three senior Indian cricketers but they were not sure whether they would further investigate it. "He named several players during questioning. But these simply seem to have been dropped due to vendetta," the officer said.
"However, there are others whom we are gathering proof against and who will be arrested soon."
They spun a web of deceit in Indian cricket...