Match Fixing Report (contd...)

Somewhere around this period, there was 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 Hotel Taj Samundra, Colombo and he could introduce Dean Jones to him. MK immediately left for Colombo. Manoj Prabhakar was paid a sum of Rs. 2 lacs for this information.

MK offered an amount of $40,000 to Dean Jones to give him information about the Australian team's strategy, morale, team composition and about the probable result etc. whenever Australian played. Dean Jones promised to think about the offer.

During that series, Manoj Prabhakar also introduced Brian Lara and Ranatunga to MK. However, they were not paid any money. MK came back to India and Manoj Prabhakar also came back with him in the same flight. After retuning to India, Dean Jones rang up MK and told him that he could not accept MK's offer since he suspected that Alan Border had seen them talking together in the hotel lobby and if he came to know about this, Dean Jones' career could be in jeopardy.

In a Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match between Delhi and Bombay in 1991, Manoj Prabhakar gave MK the information that some of the Delhi players were scheduled to play league cricket in England on dates which clashed with further Ranji Trophy matches, and hence they had decided to lose this match. The Delhi side comprised Kirti Azad, Maninder Singh, Atul Wasson, K.P. Bhasker, Ajay Sharma, Bantu Singh, Prabhakar and others.

MK paid some money to Manoj Prabhakar for this information, but he does not know whether this money was shared by him with any of the other players. Delhi lost that match on the basis of first innings lead of one run.

In the year 1992, India played a series in Australia just prior to the World Cup and MK struck a deal with Manoj Prabhakar that some of the matches in that series would be fixed. Manoj allegedly claimed that N.S. Sindhu was also with him in this deal. According to MK, in two one-dayers against Australia, he made good money on the basis of Manoj Prabhakar's information.

However, during the World Cup, 1992, MK has stated that he lost a huge amount of money since nothing worked according to his plans. Meanwhile, Manoj Prabhakar had also introduced Mark Waugh to MK during a six-a-side cricket tournament in Hong Kong. MK paid a sum of $20,000 to Mark Waugh in exchange of information regarding team morale, discussions taking place during team meetings, percentage of chances of winning or losing, etc. regarding the Australian team.

Manoj Prabhakar was also paid money for arranging this meeting. In 1993, England team visited India and MK requested Manoj Prabhakar to introduce him to Alec Stewart. He paid a sum of £5000 to Alec Stewart who agreed to give MK information about weather, wicket, team composition, etc., whenever the English team played. Stewart refused to fix any matches for him.

Manoj Prabhakar was also paid some money for aranging this meeting with Alec Stewart. During that series, Manoj Prabhakar claimed that he had fixed two one-day matches played at 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 his 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 that series, he also met Umpire Piloo Reporter who assured him that he would give his assessment of matches during that series. According to MK, Reporter's assessment of the first Test at Calcutta turned out to be true and he paid him a small amount of money.

MK further stated that when Sri Lanka toured India in 1994, Ranatunga and Arvinda D'Silva agreed to underperform in the first Test at Lucknow. They also told him that they had not taken other players into confidence but could manage it since they were the Captain and Vice-Captain of the team. Accordingly, Sri Lanka lost the first test and MK made a good deal of money. MK stated that he paid $15,000 to D'Silva after the Test. He also stated that both Ranatunga and D'Silva were also ready to fix the other Tests, but the 'odds' were very low.

MK also had a suspicion that they had fixed the other matches through Manoj Prabhakar with somebody else and hence did not take much interest. Around this time, his relationship with Manoj Prabhakar deteriorated since he had become very money-minded and had also got involved with other bookies of Delhi and Bombay, and even with some big punters.

In 1994, there was a series in Sharjah in which India, Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were scheduled to play. Manoj Prabhakar was not in the Indian team. MK went to Sharjah and met Mark Waugh and Salim Mailk. Salim Malik refused to "do" any matches for MK since he had become the captain and Mark Waugh also refused any information. MK came back to India a dejected man without any gains.

In 1994, there was another tournament in Sri Lanka, the Singer Cup, in which India, Pakistan and Australia were playing. During the series, MK rang up Salim Mailk and requested him to do something for him. Salim Malik gave him an information that Pakistan will lose a particular match against Australia which came out true he made good money on that.

By the end of 1994, disputes arose between MK and Anand Saxena, his partner, mainly because of Anand Saxena's womanising and also because he had contracted some illness. MK has stated that Anand Saxena had cancer and thought it might be infectious. His relationship with Manoj Prabhakar also reached a stage where MK stopped trusting him.

Most of his information had started turning out to be incorrect but his demands for money kept on increasing. MK discontinued his association with both Anand Saxena and Manoj Prabhakar around this time. MK has however stated that Anand Saxena continued his friendship with Manoj Prabhakar since both of them had similar habits.

By the end of 1994, Mukesh Gupta stopped book making and became a punter. Towards the end of 1994, West Indies came to India and MK met Brian Lara again. Brian Lara offered to underperform in two one-day matches and his information proved correct and MK made some money by betting on those matches.

MK stated that he gave a sum of around $40,000 to Brian Lara for his information. During his career as a punter, MK was mainly involved with the Bombay bookie Anil Steel who became his close friend. MK further stated that around this time Ajay Sharma renewed his contracts with MK once again and asked him for sum of Rs.15,000/- to help him purchase a Zen Car as he was running short of money.

During their meeting, MK gave him the money and Ajay Sharma promised him that he could introduce Mohd. Azharuddin to him which could prove beneficial to both. Accordingly, Ajay sharma fixed a meeting with Azharuddin at Taj Palance in Delhi some time in 1995.

Ajay Sharma was paid a sum of Rs.5 lacs for arranging this meeting and Azharuddin agreed to 'do' some matches for him.

Azharuddin was paid a sum of Rs. 50 lacs as an advance with the arrangement that the initial amount would be adjusted against the matches he would 'do' for MK. Azharuddin promised MK that he would provide the exact information as to when India would win or lose. He does not remember to exact number of matches which Azhar did for him during this period.

MK has stated that he also visited Calcutta during the inaugural Ceremony of World Cup in 1996. there, he was introduced to Asif Iqbal by Anil Steel who was in very good terms with Asif Iqbal.

Sometimes in October, 1996, Ajay Sharma contacted MK and told him that in Australia - India Test match at Delhi, he could get the pitch prepared in such a way that there would be a definite result in that match. Ajay Sharma told him that his could be done through a groundsman of Feroze Shah Kotla.

Accordingly, MK met the groundsman of Feroz Shah Kotla along with Ajay Sharma and a result-oriented pitch was prepared. Since the pitch was spinner-friendly, that particular match ended in around 3 ½ days and MK made a good amount of money as a punter. MK paid a sum of Rs. 3 lakhs to Ajay Sharma after this match.

Around this time, Azharuddin agreed to 'do' some matches for MK in the Titan Cup series. However, some of Azhar's information proved incorrect, and even the agreement that India would lose the final to South Africa did not materialise, and MK and Anil Steel incurred heavy losses and were almost broke.

Thereafter, MK went to Sharjah during an ongoing tournament and, through Asif Iqbal, met Jayasuriya. But Jayasuriya refused to 'do' any matches for MK. After coming back to India, Anil Steel asked MK to meet Azharuddin again and request him to make up for the loses during Titan Cup.

Accordingly, MK took Ajay Sharma along with him and went to Hyderabad and met Azharuddin at his residence. During the meeting, Azharuddin promised him that he would make up for the losses during the Titan Cup.  [Contd...]