Delhi Police alleges bookies tried to influence 2011 World Cup

Delhi Police’s chargesheet in the IPL spot-fixing scandal alleges that several bookies not only tried to bribe some players during World Cup 2011, but were also seen with several international players in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka a few times by ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACSU) itself.

According to the chargesheet, bookies slipped away from there without being caught. The bookies, Sunil Bhatia and Azmal along with Baburao Yadav, a former first class cricketer, had met two Indian players, who are presently part of Indian team, in Sri Lanka along with a senior Sri Lankan player. The chargesheet, however, doesn’t indict any other cricketer or gives any evidence against anybody else.

To substantiate the statement of accused Bhatia regarding his visits to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Delhi Police recorded the statement of Dharamveer Singh Yadav, regional security manager – ACSU, International Cricket Council (ICC). The statement is part of the sport-fixing chargesheet.

It says, “As an anti-corruption officer, my job is to collect information and prevent corruption in cricket. ICC Anti-Corruption unit maintains photographs and other details of various suspects who are involved in corrupting cricket. Availability of the photographs and details helps in identifying these suspects at match venues and other places.

In 2010, while covering one of the bilateral International series in Bangladesh, I noticed Sunil Bhatia (a suspect figuring in the ACU list) making attempts to approach the players in Hotel Pan Pacific, Dhaka”.

He continues, “I also observed Baburao Yadav accompanying Sunil Bhatia with two females in the stadium among spectators. However, Bhatia realised my presence, while he was making an attempt to approach players in Pan Pacific Hotel, Dhaka, and he ran away from hotel and subsequently left Bangladesh. Thereafter, Sunil Bhatia was also observed at couple of places in Sri Lanka but not much could be collected as valuable information”.

The ICC official also explains about how bookies tried to fix the 2011 World Cup. He says, “It was the year 2011 during the World Cup, when I was staying in Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi along with some of the international teams, when I noticed Bhatia, Baburao and two more companions (one of them was Azmal alias Afzal from Hyderabad and another was a Sikh gentleman), who were making attempts to corrupt some of the players staying in the hotel.

“Finding me in the lobby, Bhatia placed a handkerchief on his face and along with his companions ran out of the hotel”.

Meanwhile, Sunil Bhatia, according to the chargesheet, has himself revealed that in 2009, he went to Sri Lanka, where he met one Gyan, a resident of Sri Lanka, and used to accompany players of Sri Lanka everywhere.

“In 2010, I and Baburao Yadav went to Bangladesh. There Gyan had introduced me to a Sri Lankan player (name withheld, presently in team), two Indian players (names withheld, presently in Indian team),” Bhatia confessed.