Introduction
The Central Bureau of Investigation conducted an inquiry on match-fixing and corruption in
India and submitted its interim report on Monday to the Indian government.
The federal agency has pointed finger at five Indian players- Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay
Jadeja, Ajay Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar and Nayan Mongia, ex-team physiotherapist Ali Irani
and nine other international players, including world record holder Brian Lara, former English
captain Alec Stewart, ex-Pakistani skipper Salim Malik, leading opener Mark Waugh and
disgraced South African Hansie Cronje, in its 162-page report.
Government of India, on Wednesday, made the CBI report public. Following is the unaltered
account of the report.
Chapter : 1
a) Genesis:
In response to the request from Ministry of Sports regarding an inquiry into match-fixing
and related malpractises in Indian cricket, vide DO No. F-23-8/2000-SP.III from Shri N N
Khanna, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, CBI registered a
Preliminary Enquiry No.2/S/2000 on 2.5.2000. The score of the PE is broadly limited to the
letter of Shri N N Khanna in which there is a general mention of various allegations as they
had appeared in the media as well as issues raised during a debate in both Houses of
Parliament. The Ministry's letter further requests the CBI to collect and evaluate various
news-items and information published in both the print and the electronic media and
conduct a comprehensive enquiry into the allegations of match-fixing and related
malpractises connected with the game of cricket.
b) Parameters:
After registering the PE, CBI undertook an exercise to fix certain parameters, since the
enquiry was open-ended without setting for itself any specific time-frame for which the
probe was to be conducted or specific allegations or names which had to be looked into or
specific areas which ahd to be enquired into. In this connection, it was decided that first
of all, a broad enquiry was to be made to ascertain whether match-fixing and other
malpractises connected with the game of cricket existed. Accordingly, the following
corner-stones were fixed as focal points of this enquiry:
1) To identify the betting syndicates operating in India and examine their activities;
2) To unravel the linkages of cricket players or their intermediaries with these syndicates
and their roles in the alleged malpractises; and
3) To examine the role and functions of the BCCI so as to evaluate whether it could have
prevented the alleged malpractises.
c) Mechanics used:
i) All available overt and covert information about players, ex-players, bookies and
middlemen whose names had figured in the various media reports and through sources
developed by the CBI was shortlisted and all relevant facts regarding them including details
of property, details of business associates, etc were collected.
ii) The general public were requested to come forth with information, if any, regarding
match-fixing etc through appeals published and broadcast in the print and electronic media
iii) An intensive exercise was conducted to analyse telephone and mobile phone printouts
to establish a player-bookie nexus, if any. In this exercise, thousands of pages of mobile
phones and land line printouts including those of players, their relatives, associates, and
bookies etc were analysed through a specially designed computer software. Details of
telephone calls made by cricket players from their hotel rooms during the recent matches
were also analysed.
iv) The tapes which were allegedly shot clandestinely by Tehelka.com along Manoj
Prabhakar were also studied.
v) After collecting relevant material/evidence as listed above, individual players, past and
present, officials and bookies were examined and they were confronted with evidence at
hand which the CBI had gathered during its inquiry.
d) Match fixing: an interpretation of the terminology
Match fixing in this enquiry is used as an omnibus phrase to denote the following:
i) Instances where an individual player or group of players received money
individually/collectively to underperform.
ii) Instances where a player placed bets in matches in which he played that would
naturally undermine his performance.
iii) instances where players passed on information to a betting syndicate about team
composition, probable result, pitch conditions, weather, etc.,
iv) Instances where groundsmen were given money to prepare a pitch in a way that suited
the betting syndicates and
v) Instances of current and ex-players being used by bookies to gain access to Indian and
foreign players to influence their performances for a monetary consideration
a) History:
Although betting on cricket matches was taking place on a one to one basis on a small
scale prior to 1983, betting through syndicates, ironically, started on a major scale only
after India's triumph in the 1983 World Cup. This was the period when live telecast of
matches featuring India, both at home and abroad, started on a regular basis. Initially,
betting was restricted to groups of friends, but by the late 1980s, it had become more
organised, and a number of bookies spawned in major metropolitan cities. An interesting
feature of this racket was the fact that this was set in motion mainly by bookies who were
involved in betting at horse-racing.
By early 1990s, betting on cricket had spread across India and had attained a measure of
sophistication. Typically, all that a bookie needed to start his profession wa a telephone
connection, a television set, a notebook and a clientele who were basically known to the
bookie through various contacts.
As at the race course, in cricket also, a person who places bets with a bookie is called a
punter. Any cricket match which is shown live on television, whether an international,
domestic, veteran or festival match, activates the betting syndicate. All transactions in
this trade are carried out by word of mouth. For example, if a punter wants to place his
bets on a particular match, all that he does is call up his bookie over telephone, find out
the odds, and place his bets for a particular amount. No money changes hands at this
point of time and the punter's bet is duly entered by the bookie in his note book. After the
conclusion of the match, exchange of money takes place and the note book is destroyed.
In the early years, betting was mainly confined to the final outcome of a match, but over
a period of time, betting on individual scores, team scores, etc, generally termed spread
betting, also started.
By the middle of the 1990s, with a surfeit of one day matches being shown live on
television and also the onset of cable revolution in which international matches featuring
countries other than India also began to be telecast live, betting had taken the shape of a
massive organised racket. The introduction of mobile phones in the mid '90s also gave a
major fillip to this racket, since bookies and punters were no longer solely dependent on
P&T lines for communication and could therefore be more mobile. Bombay emerged as the
main centre for betting, followed by Delhi and other metropolitan cities such as Calcutta,
Chennai, Ahmedabad, and even smaller district towns. Bombay took the lead in this racket
since the ods on which bets were played in any match throughout India were determined
by the bookies based in Bombay. Currently also, Bombay remains the base around which all
betting operations in India revolve.
b) Betting Procedure:
The odds for a particular match are decided among bookies based on certain accepted
criteria such as the relative strength of the two opposing teams previous record, pitch and
weather conditions, team composition, etc. For example, if two teams, A and B, are
scheduled to play and where A is perceived to be relatively weaker than B, then the ods
may be 60 paise on B and 150 paise on A.
After these odds have been decided upon, primarily by bookies based in Mumbai, they are
transmitted telephonically to bookies in different parts of India and betting starts. Punters
place bets with concerned bookies over telephone. For example, if a punter places a bet of
Rs 1 lakh on team B winning the match, he will get Rs 60,000, if team B actually wins.
On the other hand, if he places a bet on A winning the match and if A actually wins, he will
get a sum of Rs 1,50,000. However, in case he loses his bet in either instance, then he
pays a sum of one lakh which he placed as bet, to the concerned bookie. The whole
betting procedure is a very flexible system in which odds keep changing during the course
of the match depending on how the match is progressing and the punter can conclude and
place fresh bets according to his judgement.
Without going into the intricacies of changing odds during the course of a match, it is
emphasized that bookies generally manipulate the odds in such a manner that they seldom
incur huge losses. It is generally the punter who risks losing his money. The odds which
keep fluctuating as the match progresses, are transmitted to the bookies throughout India
by mobile phone, pager or through the 'Dibba' system.
The 'Dibba' is a phone phone with speaker facility. The person operating the Dibba will
normally have a mini exchange in which there are 10 to 12 incoming and around 100
outgoing lines. An operator will constantly receive the prevailing odds on the incoming lines
from the big bookies. These odds are in turn passed constantly on to the other
bookies/punters through the outgoing lines from the phone, using the speaker facility.
The outgoing lines are also used by bookies/punters throughout India for the latest
information about prevailing odds at Mumbai. The outgoing lines are kept energized
throughout the match. Our enquiry has disclosed that primarily the owners of STD booths
act as conduits in this sort of communication network. The operations of betting syndicate
in India are in the nature of a cartel. This primarily means that there are no two groups of
bookies who fix odds at widely differing rates. This, to a degree, ensures that there is no
cut-throat competition which harms the interests of bookies.
In spite of this, if there are any differences regarding any particular match, these are
sorted out mutually among themselves. c) Major Bookies and Punters: Some of the
important bookies and punters who have emerged as key figures in the enquiry due to their
connections with the cricketers in one way or the other are:
Bookies:
1) Mukesh Kumar Gupta aka MK, aka John, C-538, Defence Colony, Delhi
2) Anil Steel, 2/0 312, Luxmichand House, 1st Floor, Telung Road, Matunga, Bombay
3) Anand Saxena, 3562, Gali Thank Singh, Sita Ram Bazar, Delhi and D-84, Defence Colony,
New Delhi
4) Shobhan Mehta, 1503 and 1504, Deepak Jyoti Building, Kala Choki, Mumbai -33.
5) Uttam Chand, 145, North Usman Road, First Floor, T Nagar, Chennai
6) Naveen Sachdeva aka Tinkoo, 41/7, Second Floor, Punjab Bagh (East), New Delhi
7) Deepak Rajouri, A-120, Vishal Enclave, Delhi - 27
8) Sanjeev Sacher, aka Babloo, 18/18-A, Moti Nagar, New Delhi
Punters:
1) Ajay Gupta, 41 Rajpur Road, Civil Lines, Delhi
2) AmeeshGupta, 34/1 East Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi
3) Gyan Gupta, 34/1, East Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi
4) Nishit Goyal, 8/3, Ram Kishore Road, Civil Lines, Delhi - 54
5) Sanjeev Kohli aka Tipu Kohli, D-14, South Extension, Part-II, New Delhi
6) Ratan Mehta, W-38, Panchsheel Enclave, 2nd Floor, New Delhi and A-13/8, Vasant
Vihar, New Delhi
7) PawanPuri, Puri Farm House, Mehrauli, Gurgaon Road, New Delhi
8) S anjay Anand, 1-33, Kirti Nagar, New Delhi - 15
9) Rajesh Kalra, S-252, Ist Floor, Greater Kailash Part, Part - II , New Delhi
d) Dimensions of betting:
Betting on cricket is today, in terms of monetary turnover and volume of transaction,
perhaps the biggest organized racket in the country. According to rough estimates, the
turnover for a one day match in any part of the world which is being telecast in India is to
the tune of hundreds of crores. A primary reason for the growth of this racket is the
relatively liberal provisions of the Public Gambling Act.
The ingredients and punishments under this Act differ from State to State. Even as it is
debatable whether betting on cricket attracts provisions of this Act, since cricket
theoretically is a game of skill, the maximum punishment under this Act. For example in
Delhi, for a first offence is imprisonment for six months and a fine of Rs 1000 and for
subsequent offences, a maximum punishment of imprisonment of one year and a fine of Rs
2000. Hence, for a bookie or punter dealing in crores of rupees, the provisions of this Act
are no major cause of worry.
During the inquiry, it was also learnt that the lure of easy money has gradually attracted
the underworld into this racket. It seems that it is only a matter of time before major
organized gangs take direct control of this racket, a phenomenon that will have
implications not only for cricket but for national security as a whole.
e) Manipulations:
Betting on cricket, having emerged as a major organized racket, it makes sound common
sense for both bookies and punters to manipulate results according to their financial
interests. For example, if a bookie wants to fix a favourite team to lose, he would naturally
rake in a huge amount of money at the cost of punters who generally place bets on the
favourite team. A punter can also fix a team according to his financial interests and place
heavy bets with a number of bookies which would result in major gains for him.
Our enquiry has disclosed that results of cricket matches are manipulated or attempted to
be manipulated by both the bookies as well as punters. Apart from fixing matches,
performance fixing of individual players can also help the betting syndicate in spread
betting. Specific details of this aspect will be discussed later.
After collecting all relevant material/evidence, individual players, ex-players, officials,
bookies, punters and others were examined and were confronted with the evidence at
hand which the CBI had gathered. Thereafter their statements were recorded. It is
however emphasized at the very outset that the cricketing fraternity, generally speaking,
maintained a conspiracy of silence and were rarely forthcoming with any specific
information relevant to the enquiry.
Not a single player/ex-player/official etc, other than those who had made vague and
general allegations in the media, volunteered any information to the CBI. In spite of the
resistance offered by the players, ignorance feigned by ex-players and officials connected
with the game, the CBI was able to collect evidence through painstaking and meticulous
efforts.
Confronted with the evidence gathered, some players/others, in spite of their stubborn
denials, broke down and disclosed their involvement in malpractises in various degrees.
Although a number of bookies, punters, present and past cricket players, board officials
and others were examined, the statements of persons who are relevant to the enquiry at
this point in time alone are summarized and evidence against individual players/others is
discussed in detail.
(a) Statements:
Mukesh Kumar Gupta aka MK Gupta aka MK aka John MK Gupta aka MK aka John, a
prominent bookie of Delhi, was initially employed with Syndicate Bank as a Clerk from 1982
til 1989 when he resigned. His father was a government employee in UP and after
retirement took up employment with Ghantewala Mithai Shop in Chandni Chowk area.
His father is presently assisting him in running his jewellery show room by name AMS
Jewellers at H-81, South Extension, Part-I, New Delhi. He stated that he got interested in
cricket betting in the year 1984 after India had won the World Cup in 1983. One day he
was walking on the street near his residence at Mohalla Dassan and saw some people
betting for small amounts in a cricket match and this caught his attention.
He started betting with them on a small scale after banking hours. Since the people
involved in this business were not well educated and did not have much knowledge of
cricket, he started reading about cricket from bookies, magazines, newspapers etc. He
updated his knowledge by listening to BBC and gathered a lot of information.
In this manner, he used to place intelligent bets and he made more money than other
people involved in betting. Since he was very prompt in his payments, the bookies also
started having trust in him and his volume of betting increased. He shifted his betting
activity thereafter to bigger bookies operating at Chandni Chowk, Ghanta Ghar.
He was also betting at Karol Bagh and Patel Nagar with one Sikh gentleman whose name
he was unable to recollect. Thereafter, he was introduced to one Anand Saxena who was
a keen punter in cricket as well as tennis, football, hockey etc and this introduction was
through a bank customer.
By the year 1986, he had made a good amount of money and he thought he should go to
Bombay and start betting with the biggest bookies of that time, Mama and Kamate. Their
reference was given to him by one R P Singh, who was a veteran in the betting field at
Delhi.
Accordingly, in May 1986, he went to Bombay with the address and telephone numbers of
Mama and Kamate and opened his account with them and came back to Delhi. Since he
had to give business on a regular basis to Mama and Kamate, he became a bookie on a
partnership basis with Anand Saxena in Delhi.
In 1988, he went to watch the Ram Charan Aggarwal Tournament being played at Delhi
between different clubs. There he saw Ajay Sharma playing in a particular match in which
he made a quick 50 or 100. After that match, he went to Ajay Sharma and paid him an
amount of Rs 2000 as a token of his appreciation and also told him that if he had any
problems in life, he could contact MK and also gave his telephone number.
He stated that he did this since he thought Ajay Sharma had talent and it was an
investment with the hope that some day he could reap the benefits. After about 15 days,
Ajay Sharma got in touch with him again and a relationship between them started. This
was to prove beneficial to both.
In the year 1990, India was touring New Zealand and both Ajay Sharma and Manoj
Prabhakar were in the team. MK requested Ajay Sharma over telephone from India to
introduce Manoj Prabhakar to him and MK talked to Prabhakar from India over telephone.
During that tour to New Zealand, he used to regularly ring up Ajay Sharma and gather
information about the weather, pitch, team composition etc and based on that information,
he used to operate his business and made a good amount of money. He does not
remember if he had paid any money to Ajay Sharma for this, but said that he may have
given him some gifts.
After the New Zealand tour, India was scheduled to tour England, but Ajay Sharma was
dropped from the team. MK requested Ajay Sharma to personally introduce Manoj
Prabhakar to him, which Ajay Sharma duly did and Prabhakar was paid a sum of Rs 40,000
to help MK during the England tour.
MK also promised to pay him money equivalent to a Maruti Gypsy which Manoj Prabhakar
wanted to purchase, if he could provide useful information during the England tour.
According to MK, Manoj Prabhakar gave him information about all aspects of the Indian
team and he also underperformed in one of the Tests which ended in a draw.
After the tour, when the team came back to India, MK fulfilled his promise and paid money
to Manoj Prabhakar to buy a Maruti Gypsy with wide tyres. Somewhere around that time,
MK also visited Manoj Prabhakar's house in Ghaziabad and had dinner with him.
Manoj Prabhakar promised to introduce him to other international players against a
payment of Rs 50,000 each and after dinner that night, spoke to Gus Logie of West Indies
over telephone. However, Gus Logie refused to cooperate in any manner with them.
MK further stated sometime thereafter, the Sri Lankan team visited India and Manoj
Prabhakar introduced Aravinda D'Silva to him for a price. MK established good rapport with
Aravinda D'Silva. Later, MK contacted D'Silva for an introduction to Martin Crowe and
D'Silva called Martin Crowe over telephone and told him about MK.
Accordingly, MK met Martin Crowe in 1991 in New Zealadn and also had lunch at his house.
MK added that Martin's wife Simone was also present during the meeting. MK has stated
that he had paid a sum of ,000 to Martin Crowe in exchange for information about the
pitch, weather, team composition, etc, whenever the New Zealand team played.
MK however stated that Martin Crowe refused to fix any matches for him. Around that
period, there was a match between Wills Cup Winners of Pakistan and Wills Cup Winners of
India at Feroze Shah Kotla, Delhi. He does not remember the name of the Pakistan team,
but remembers that it was captained by Javed Miandad.
MK requested Prabhakar to introduce him to Salim Malik, which he did. He thereafter met
Salim Malik at Hotel Maurya Sheraton and struck a deal with him to fix that match without
the knowledge of Javed Miandad. The Pakistani team lost the match after a close finish
and he paid a sum of Rs 8 lakh to Salim Malik and MK also earned roughly the same amount
of money.
He does not know who were the other players whom Salim Malik had roped in to fix this
match. By now MK realized the importance of having information about weather, pitch, etc
and chose a young boy, Sanjay Sharma, who was living in his locality, and trained him to
gather information about the nature of the pitch, team composition, weather etc and sent
him to England.
Sanjay Sharma's job was to gather all relevant information from the local newspapers, TV
etc nad pass on the same to MK. This helped him a great deal in his business. Somewhere
around this period, there were some festival matches in Sri Lanka and many international
players were also taking part in it.
Manoj Prabhakar was also playing in that series. MK rang up Manoj Prabhakar from India
and requested him to introduce some Australian players who were also taking part in that
tournament. Manoj Prabhakar rang him back and informed him that all the teams were
staying at the Taj Samudra and he could introduce Dean Jones to him.
MK immediately left for Colombo. Manoj Prabhakar was given a sum of Rs two lakh for this
introduction. MK offered an amount of ,000 to Dean Jones to give him information
about the Australian team's strategy, morale, team composition and about the probable
result, etc, whenever Australians played.
Dean Jones promised to think about the offer. During that series, Manoj Prabhakar also
introduced Brian Lara and Ranatunga to MK, but they were not paid any money.
During that series, Manoj Prabhakar claimed that he had fixed two one day matches in
Gwalior and informed MK. However, his information proved incorrect. India won both the
matches and MK suffered a huge loss. However, he recovered some of the losses in the
one day match at Bangalore on the basis of information provided by Manoj Prabhakar.
In most of the matches fixed by Manoj Prabhakar, he used to claim that N S Sidhu was
also with him. MK stated that during the series, he also met Umpire Piloo Reporter who
assured him that he would give his assessment during that series.
According to MK
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