Bengaluru police has released C.M. Gautam and Abrar Kazi on Wednesday from the custody regarding the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) betting scandal. A police officer confirmed the news on Thursday.
“Gautham and Kazi received bail late evening on Wednesday. Right now, no cricketer is in custody, only bookie Sayyam continues to be in custody,” central crime branch deputy commissioner of police Kuldeep Jain told IANS.
Karnataka High Court judge K.N. Phaneendra has also issued bail to Gautham and Kazi. Bengaluru Blasters teammates Gautham and Qazi were there for questioning by the police for nearly a month as they were arrested on November 7 on betting and spot-fixing charges in KPL. Haryana-based bookie Sayyam was also arrested in connection with an old KPL betting case on November 11.
Although the investigators failed to get much information from Sayyam as he also petitioned for bail at the Karnataka High Court. Moreover, former Karnataka Ranji Trophy team batsman and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) managing committee member Sudhendra Shinde also received bail on Monday.
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Police questioned him as well for helping Belagavi Panthers owner Asfaq Ali Thara in betting and spot-fixing KPL matches. In the recently concluded 2019 KPL edition, Shinde was the coach of Belgavi Panthers T20 team. The team which is owned by Ali, who was also arrested and later released on bail.
Meanwhile, police are also eyeing into the links between the Kannada film industry and the local T20 tournament, as some actors were known to have attended parties with the cricketers as well. However, Jain said the investigation is underway.
“We are suspecting that the people involved in KPL scandal are being tutored to evade police and their questioning and not spill out any information,” said a source to IANS.
Run by the KSCA, KPL, is an intra-state T20 tournament, has become a place of betting, honey trapping and spot-fixing controversies now. Like the cash-rich BCCI-owned Indian Premier League (IPL), KPL has also emerged as a leading local franchise-based league in recent times.
