Lele to meet Goa police in connection with ticket scam

The Goa police has approached the Indian cricket board (BCCI) for assistance even as the investigations into the alleged sale of duplicate tickets for the final one-dayer between India and Australia at Margao on April 6 was continuing.

South Goa police superintendent, I D Shukla, who is heading the investigating team, said on Friday that they have asked the BCCI to apprise them about the rules governing the BCCI and state cricket associations with regard to holding of matches.

All the six persons arrested following investigations into the case in the course of the week were remanded to five days police custody by the Margao chief judicial magistrate's (CJM) court on Thursday night, Shukla told PTI.

They include the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) treasurer, Rama Shankardas, who has been removed from the post by the association.

Meanwhile, a police team from the state also visited Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu to verify whether 20,000 fake tickets distributed for the match had been printed at a printing press in the town, police said.

The press owners told the Goan police, who had also come to check whether tickets printed at the press were genuine, that they had GCA's order for printing tickets. A xerox copy of the order was handed over to the investigating team, police said.

About 20,000 spectators with valid tickets were denied entry to watch the game as the stadium was packed to capacity.

Subsequent inquiry revealed that GCA had handed over printing and selling rights of tickets to private contractors for a hefty sum. This prevented them from having any control over the number of tickets, police said.

Investigations also revealed that the tickets were printed at Sivakasi and Hyderabad, police added.

BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele and the Board observer for the Margao match, KP Kajaria would arrive in Goa on Sunday on the request of Goa police, Shukla said.

Shukla spoke to the BCCI chairman Muthiah, asking him to enlighten the police about the Board's control on the state cricket association. Muthiah agreed to send Lele and Kajaria to Goa on Sunday, DIG police Karnal Singh said.

The police, meanwhile, has asked the GCA president, Dayanand Narvekar, a former Chief Minister of Goa, to appear before them for questioning on Saturday, he added.

Police on Friday had once again interrogated GCA secretary Vinod Phadke. Phadke earlier said in a statement that the GCA had cooperated with the police all along and would do so in future too. "We are happy that the duplication of tickets was detected by the police and the accused have been arrested" he said.