BENGALURU: Six down. More to go. That’s the message from police officials in Bengaluru, who arrested cricketers C M Gautam and Abrar Kazi for their role in spot-fixing in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL). News of the former being detained has shocked the fraternity. Captain of Ballari Tuskers in KPL, Gautam is a prominent name in domestic cricket, who served Karnataka with distinction for nearly a decade.
Thursday’s arrest takes the tally in this case to six. If officials are to be believed, more arrests are to follow. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths, who arrested Ballari Tuskers skipper Gautam and Kazi, have found that a few more players are involved. Officials suspect they have gone absconding as soon as they learnt about the duo’s arrest.
A senior police officer said, “Investigations are on and we have gathered information about other players involved in match-fixing. Some of them have left the country. We have sent teams to gather information about their whereabouts. Arrests will be made soon.”It has been learnt that Gautam and Kazi, who were active players in the first-class circuit till their arrest, were offered Rs 20 lakh each to bat slowly during the KPL final against Hubli Tigers in Mysuru on August 31. While Gautam made a 37-ball 29 and Kazi a six-ball 13, their team lost the final.
It is said that some influential persons have been putting pressure on the investigating officers, stating that the arrests would affect the players’ careers. Apparently, they were even asked to stop the probe.Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao confirmed there was interference from certain influential persons. “The CCB officials are doing their job ignoring these threats. We don’t care who is trying to influence the probe. I have asked the investigating officials to ignore those influential people and carry on with a thorough probe regardless of the threats.” The BCCI’s Anti Corruption Unit is assisting the Karnataka police in the probe and has been handing over all information it has collected.
the case so far
The arrests started with Belagavi Panthers owner Ali Asfak Thara. Bengaluru Blasters bowling coach Vinu Prasad and batsman M Vishwanathan were also arrested. Another player, Nishant Singh Shekhawat, was arrested earlier this month.