Jan. 4: Embarrassed by the evaluation that revealed very little gold in the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup, the Hyderabad Cricket Association is gearing up to probe possible fraud by past office-bearers in handling the prestigious trophy.
“We are ready for any kind of investigation. The matter cannot be taken lightly,” HCA joint secretary S. Venkateswaran told this newspaper on Tuesday. “Should any agency be able to ascertain the ‘age’ of the Cup via scientific testing of the metal, we would be too happy to seek their services,” Venkateswaran added.
“Once we know the year of manufacture, the problem is as good as solved as we can zero in on the culprit if there is one,” he said, the implication being the HCA office-bearer concerned of that particular year, could be questioned.
The HCA had requisitioned the National Geophysical Research Institute to evaluate the gold content in the Cup following talk that the original Cup, presumed to be made of pure gold, had been replaced with a replica sometime back. HCA president Arshad Ayub could not be reached for comment. The treasurer of the Association has traditionally been the custodian of the Gold Cup.
“It was always kept in the Bank (State Bank of Hyderabad) locker, and was taken out for just about 24 hours in an year — records at the Bank as well as the HCA would testify that. Every season, on the final day the annual Moin-ud-Dowla all-India tournament, the treasurer would secure the Cup from the bank locker and bring it to the ground amidst tight security for the presentation ceremony. He would deposit it back in the bank the following morning,” Venkateswaran said.
So where would the Cup stay overnight? “At the residence of either the treasurer or the secretary, at least until the time the HCA offices were situated at the (congested) Gymkhana ground,” he said. They shifted to their present location, the swanky Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, during December 2007-January 2008.
The Gold Cup would make a brief appearance annually. It would be presented to the captain of the winning team at the prize distribution before being back with the HCA after team photograph sessions. The winning team was given a replica for keeps. Venkateswaran informed that all through the years, the replicas have been carved out by an Old City based jeweller, the details of whom he could not recall.
“All that will have to be probed now... every detail should be known. We will put this up for discussion at our next executive committee meeting (in about 10 days) and take it forward,” he assured.