A Mumbai-based bookie allegedly fixed an IPL match for `6 crore after striking deals with four Hyderabad Sunrisers team players. The crime branch included the statement of this bookie, who was arrested by the Delhi police special cell from a Mumbai hotel, in their chargesheet filed on Saturday. The bookie alledgedly met the four Hyderabad Sunrisers players in Pune and fixed the deal with the help of other bookies. The brother of one of the players was a mediator in the deal.
While probing the IPL betting scandal, the property cell of the crime branch learnt that Chandresh Shivlal Patel, 34, is one of those bookies who was in touch with some arrested and wanted accused. The police then recorded his statement on June 17. Patel, a share broker from Four Bungalows in Andheri (west), in his statement to the police has said that in March this year, his Ahmedabad-based friend Pravin Thakkar alias Pintu introduced him to one Jitu Jain, who is into the business of finance. Pintu also introduced Patel to his friend Mannan, who was identified as a friend of cricketer Amit Singh.
Patel’s friend Vinni from Mumbai introduced Patel to his friends Yusuf and Amir. Patel said in the statement, “In the last week of March, Yusuf gave me Amir’s number and asked me to call Amir, who wanted to talk about IPL matches. When I called Amir, he told me to come to Hyderabad ‘to set’ an IPL match there. I informed Jitu about this and he asked me to take along Pintu to Hyderabad for the deal. I then went to Hyderabad with Pintu and Yusuf. Amir accommodated us in a hotel room.”
Further in the statement Patel said, “Amir told us that it would take `5 crore to fix an IPL match in Hyderabad and `1 crore will be mine (commission), so the total cost would come to `6 crore. Pintu informed Jitu about the offer, who in turn told us to finalise the deal if they could arrange a meeting with the players. Amir told us that he would arrange a meeting with the players on April 16 in Pune, but asked for an advance of `50 lakh.” Patel then came back to Mumbai along with the others the next day and was informed by Pintu on the phone that Jitu had sent `32 lakh to Amir. “On April 16, Jitu, Pravin, Yusuf and I went to Pune, where in Le Meridien hotel, Amir’s friend Sunil introduced us to Sunrisers Hyderabad team players — (Thisara) Perera, (Hanuma) Vihari, Karan Sharma, Ashish Reddy and his brother Pritam Reddy,” said Patel in the statement.
“Pritam asked me what I wanted to do, to which I said that the score should not cross 60 runs in 10 overs and 140 runs in 20 overs and the Sunrisers should lose the match,” Patel said.
He also allegedly told Pritam that some signal should be given so that bets can be placed. Pritam told him that he would finalise everything and would inform Amir about the same. Patel and his partners then left for Mumbai. “The next day, Amir called me and said that Pritam told him the signal was that in the second over a Sunrisers Hyderabad player will get out,” said Patel.
On April 17, there was a match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Pune Warriors and as Amir had said in the second over, a Hyderabad player got out. Jitu placed bets of `3.5 crore on the first 10 overs, and `9 crore on overall result (win/loss). Jitu won the bet on the first 10 overs, but lost the second as Hyderabad team won the match, which was not the deal.
“On the same evening, Amir called me and asked me for money. But, I refused as Hyderabad had won the match. Amir then threatened me for money,”
Patel said.