Match-fixing: Yet another disturbing development

For some time now, there has been talk of a nexus between the underworld, the bookies and some cricketers which has been at the centre of the match fixing scandal. Even the Condon report mentioned it and added that because of this nexus, cricketers were living in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty and were not easily forthcoming with information.

Now, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the nexus, has indicated that Dubai and Pakistan based underworld gangs were running dedicated groups of operators to concentrate on the `lucrative business' of betting and match-fixing in international cricket. The CBI began probing the nexus between bookies and the underworld mafia to find out how deep the criminal section has penetrated into the game.

Information about the formation of such groups emerged as part of vital clues collected by the CBI on the modus operandi of the underworld with regard to the murky dealings in cricket. The CBI has been working towards exposing the underworld's involvement in cricket ever since it became apparent.

CBI sources recently said that the investigation into the matter, which started soon after the submission of its report on betting and match-fixing in Indian cricket in November last year, was progressing at a good pace and they had gathered many vital clues about the case.

According to indications, the gangs were closer to cricketers, administrators and officials in the Indian sub-continent. The CBI has also collected a lot of information about the alleged role of a number of cricketers, administrators and officials in the murky business. While the agency has so far refused to reveal details as, according to them, it might hamper investigations, it has confirmed that they have information about their close links with the underworld operators and would question them at an opportune time.

The country's premier investigating agency is also considering taking active help from the Delhi Police and the Mumbai Police to get to the bottom of the way the underworld operated. The CBI has already contacted a number of countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Dubai and Singapore and sought help in providing inputs about the possible role of the underworld in tournaments held there.

The CBI decided to probe the matter in the wake of reports of rising interest of the underworld in cricket in India. Even though the nexus had been unearthed during the CBI's probe into the match-fixing scandal, the dimensions at that time were yet to be fully established. But now the probe into this nexus and its bearing on national security is being conducted vigorously both within India and abroad.

The agency had, in its report on match-fixing released in November last year, warned that if concrete steps were not taken immediately, the underworld could take overall control of the betting racket. Negligence of the police and other authorities in allowing "wagering to turn into an organised racket, particularly with the involvement of the underworld mafia", was cited by the CBI as reason for the growth of the mafia's dealings within the game.

The possible implication of the underworld in betting in Indian cricket is seen in the statements of former Indian captain Md Azharuddin and the Indian team's former physio Ali Irani who had indicated the involvement of mafia dons.

In the testimonies of Azharuddin and Irani, the names of mafia dons Anees Ibrahim, Abu Salem and Sharad Shetty have found mention. The CBI report said Azhar during his questioning had stated that "Abu Salem had rung him up on a couple of occasions to fix matches but he had refused."

According to the CBI, the fact that a "few bookies" had links with the underworld has been fairly established during the initial investigation. The CBI now seems to be casting its net far and wide to get to the bottom of the nexus between the underworld, bookies, cricketers and the game's administrators.

It is a disturbing thought that more than a year after the match fixing scandal broke, and several probes have been conducted, the evidence gathered could well be in the words of Sir Paul Condon, "the tip of the iceberg." Former England captain Ian Botham has also spoken in much the same terms and has now even expressed the fear that someone within the game could be killed. He is of the view that players caught in the scandal were afraid to blow the whistle on those seemingly responsible for offering money to under perform for fear of violent reprisals, again something that Condon hinted in his report. Clearly the fight against match fixing is far from over despite all the efforts put in so far.