The ICC (The International Cricket Council) has reached out to Bengaluru Police, promising cooperation in probing the miscellaneous KPL (Karnataka Premier League) betting scam, an official said on Saturday.
ICC, BCCI Cooperate with Bengaluru Police
Kuldeep Jain, Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police, said, “The ICC has contacted Bengaluru Police regarding the KPL betting scam. We are in cooperation with each other.”
In 2000, International Cricket Council had established the ACU (Anti-Corruption Unit), which works with multiple stakeholders, including member boards, support staff, players, law enforcement agencies and betting regulators, to thwart corruption in the game.
Kuldeep Jain said, “BCCI has extended all cooperation… They are also collecting information from us, and we are on the same lines against the KPL betting scam.”
Jain said the officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India have met the police in Bengaluru in an informal meeting. He also said the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit also wrote to the Bengaluru police promising cooperation
According to Kuldeep Jain, some former cricketers have come forward to help the police in nipping the betting evil in the bud. Meanwhile, KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) Treasurer Vinaya Mruthyunjaya said the state cricket body had no information of the ICC contacting the police.
Mruthyunjaya did not clarify if officials from KSCA, a body affiliated to the BCCI, had accompanied the BCCI officials while meeting the Bengaluru police, and the level of cooperation and coordination among the BCCI, ICC, and KSCA on the KPL betting scam.
It is not known how much data has been submitted to the police, who sought complete details of KPL teams, scorecards, video footage, phone numbers and other details linked to the tournament. There is also no clarity whether ICC or BCCI had given any specific instructions to the state association in connection with the KPL.
The senior police officer said the investigation into the KPL betting scam was continuing, without confirming if any of the female escorts or cheer girls deployed for “honey trapping” cricketers were identified or arrested.
Run by the KSCA, KPL, an intra-state T20 tournament, has been mired in betting, honey trapping and spot-fixing controversies. The betting scandal led to the arrest of a string of cricketers, bookies, team owners, and others.
