A management committee member of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), Sudhindra Shinde, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in connection with the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) match-fixing scandal on Wednesday, December 4.
The 39-year-old Shinde is the director of the Karnataka Under-19 team and also the former coach of the Belagavi Panthers. The investigating agency has accused him of match-fixing and alleged involvement in recruiting players.
On Tuesday, the CCB sleuths had conducted a raid at Shinde's residence in Domlur, Bengaluru, after which he was taken for questioning. He was later arrested by the investigative agency on Wednesday afternoon.
What is KPL scam?
KPL was established by KSCA in 2009 and is held every year. It is a Twenty20 cricket league modelled after Indian Premier League (IPL) by BCCI. A total of seven people have been arrested in connection with KPL scam, including the owner of Belagavi Panthers, Ashfaq Ali Thara, and cricketers Nishanth Singh Shekhawat, Abrar Kazi and CM Gautam.
Shinde was running a cricket club in Jayanagar when he met Ashfaq Ali, who was a travel agent. He offered sponsorship to players from Shinde's club. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil, IPS, said, "Ali went on to form the Belagavi Panthers team in the KPL and he offered sponsorships for players in Shinde's club to be a part of various KPL teams. These players were involved in match-fixing," reported The News Minute.
The CCB had also issued 'lookout circular' against Arvind Venkatesh Reddy, owner of the Bellary Tuskers.
Players honey-trapped
The recent investigations had revealed that the cricket players were honey-trapped by bookies in Dubai and Mauritius. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, IPS, had said that bookies sent the players on foreign trips for shopping and entertainment, where they were provided with money, expensive gifts and escorts.
The bookies had recorded videos of the cricketer's personal moments in the trip and used it to blackmail them into playing as per their instructions. It is alleged that a few cheerleaders were used by the bookies to honey trap the players.
