New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals cricketer Siddharth Trivedi, who is a prosecution witness in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal, was asked by several bookies to spot fix matches, a police officer said Friday.
Trivedi, 30, a right-handed batsman and medium-pace bowler, revealed the information during his questioning by Delhi Police.
Trivedi, who had played for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy and for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, was questioned by Delhi Police Thursday.
“During questioning, his role in criminal activities like spot fixing has been ruled out. As he had provided several information about some fixers and players, he has been made a prosecution witness,” said the official.
Trivedi’s statement was noted in the Saket court Friday.
“Trivedi recorded his statement under 164 of Criminal Procedure Code before a magistrate in Saket court after he was conveyed about the procedures of recording the statement,” said the official.
“He is in a borderline role. We do not have evidence to make him an accused. He is an insider who knows things. We have decided to make him prosecution witness,” the official added.
Investigators believe that Trivedi’s deposition will make their case stronger.
The official said that Trivedi, whose IPL teammates S. Sreesant, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila have been arrested, was offered money for spot fixing.
Trivedi was contacted by former Rajasthan Royals player Amit Singh for the first time in 2010. Singh was arrested as a bookie in the IPL spot fixing.
During a J.P. Atray Memorial Cricket tournament played in Chandigarh in September 2010, Trivedi was contacted by some bookies — including Deepak Kumar, who has been arrested by Delhi Police.
Sunil Bhatia, another arrested bookie, had also contacted Trivedi.
“Bhatia and Kumar had offered him money for the 2012 IPL, but he declined,” the official said.
In 2010, Trivedi was lured with gifts like clothes and perfumes to indulge in spot fixing but he did not act accordingly even though he was pursued by them since 2010 IPL season.
The bookies also urged Trivedi to indulge in spot fixing during the 2012 and 2013 editions of IPL, but he did not entertain their advances.
Trivedi had also refused to accept an invitation by Chandila to attend a party arranged by the bookies.
Chandila had approached Bradd Hodge and Kevin Cooper of Rajasthan Royals to attend the bookies’ party, but they had also rejected the invitation.
Asked whether he informed BCCI or any other cricketing authorities about the approaches of bookies, the official answered in the negative.
A total of 26 people were arrested from various parts of the country in the IPL scandal.
Besides the three Rajasthan Royals players, Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh and the Indian cricket board president’s son-in-law Guru Meiyappan for spot fixing and betting in cricket have also been arrested.
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