Four suspected bookies were removed from luxury boxes from two Indian Premier League (IPL) venues, both involving Rajasthan Royals, in Jaipur and Mumbai, respectively. According to a report in The Hindu, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) identified two bookmakers at each venue and handed them over to the local police. The first incident took place during the match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on March 28.
The ACU handed over two suspected bookies to local police from a corporate box of the venue. The second instance took place during RR’s away game against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on April 1.
The report, however, also claimed that while an FIR was lodged against “both individuals in Jaipur, the case in Mumbai ended up being a possible case of mistaken identity.”
The two suspects, however, were asked to leave MCA’s President’s Box. For the unversed, the President’s Box at the Wankhede Stadium is strictly meant for invitees and none of the 200 tickets were made available for the general public.
“Nothing untoward was found on their electronic devices,” the report quoted a Marine Drive Police Station officer as saying.
By watching games from the stadium, the bookies utilise time delay associated with real-time action and live telecast or streaming, referred to as pitch-sliding, to profit from illegal betting.
Since betting is illegal in India, the ACU, with the help of BCCI’s machinery, is trying its best to keep untoward elements away from the IPL, or cricket in general.
The IPL has been rocked by betting controversies in the past. In 2013, the police had arrested three RR players players – S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan – after their match in Mumbai over alleged spot-fixing.
Having said that, eleven bookies were also detained by the police. Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan received life bans after the investigation while RR and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were banned for two seasons.
