Excerpt from the report by Nilay Dutta, member, Justice Mukul Mudgal Probe Committee
MONEY MAKES ’EM MOVE The IPL has come under the scanner of investigators for liaison with underworld, betting and match fixing
Betting in cricket in India is not legal. But there is a huge illegal betting market in cricket matches and more particularly in the IPL. The amounts involved are mind boggling. The Delhi Police estimates that in one IPL match the total bets would be around Rs. 150 cr.
Investigations by the Delhi Police have revealed that the illegal cricket betting crime syndicate is being headed by Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, who is a known declared terrorist, based abroad. The investigation of the Delhi Police has disclosed the involvement of several former players who were used by bookies/fixers to gain access to various players and induce them to join this syndicate.
According to the Delhi Police, the modus operandi of this syndicate was using expensive gifts/cash/girls to induce young cricketers to join this syndicate. This organised crime syndicate, besides controlling illegal betting was indulging in fixing performances of players and also the rates of betting. The rates of betting were communicated from abroad to various mega bookies. The syndicate of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar was also using musclemen and henchmen like Shaikh Shakeel @ Shakil Babu Mohiddin Shaikh @ Chotta Shakeel to intimidate various actors of this syndicate to comply with their directives.
Threats of use of violence were used to settle disputes connected with payments as well as to intimidate players who failed to perform after accepting gifts/girls/money. The integration of the markets along with streamlining of money transfers through hawala transactions and certainty of settlements by muscle power opened up a huge avenue of making windfall gains for this syndicate. This led to an amalgamation of multiple sub conspiracies, all controlled and directed by the mega conspiracy of which Dawood Ibrahim and Chotta Shakeel are the prime movers.
Investigations further revealed that Dawood Ibrahim and his aides decide the initial betting rates for each match, which as the match progresses move closer towards the rates which actually reflect the real status of the match. It is during this initial period that the bookies of the D Company make huge profits. The rates fixed by the D Company have credibility as a large number of matches/ sessions in cricket matches are fixed by them and therefore they need not reflect the actual betting market sentiments observed and followed world over by gamblers who access a huge number of websites which are legal in their host countries such as Betfair.