Match Fixing Report (contd..)

Accordingly, MK went to Ahmedabad during the first test between Indian and SA where he was introduced to Dr. Ali Irani by Azharuddin. Dr. Ali Irani also promised him that Azharuddin would compensate for his losses. Azhar told MK to make future payments to him through Dr. Ali Irani. According to MK, Azharuddin told him that the Ahmedabad Test would not end in a draw, and India won that match and MK recovered around 30% of his losses.

In the second test at Calcutta, Azharuddin informed him that India would lose the test and the result was on similar lines, and MK made up around 60% of his losses. In the third test at Kanpur, MK went to Kanpur and requested Azharuddin to introduce him to Hansie Cronje. Accordingly, Azharuddin introduced him to Hansie Cronje as a diamond merchant, and MK asked Hansie Cronje his opinion about the fate of the test, this was on the third day of the test when the position of SA was already precarious.

Hansie Cronje told MK that SA would lose the test and MK paid a sum of $ 40,000 to Hansie Cronje for this information and as a future investment. Hansie Cronje also asked him to meet him in Bombay for the Mohinder Amarnath benefit match, however, when he met MK at 3 am on the day of the match, Cronje informed MK that he was not in a position to do anything about this match.

Somewhere around this time, Ajay Sharma had introduced Ajay Jadeja also to MK. Both of them had gone to his residence at Defence Colony along with a girl, and Ajay offered to "do" some matches for him. when MK asked about other players with whom he could tie up, Ajay Jadeja could promise only Nayan Mongia. MK did not go ahead with this offer.

However, Ajay Jadeja was paid a sum of rs. 50,000/- during his visit to MK's residence. In 1996, during India's tour to SA, MK also visited SA. Before that tour, MK had paid around Rs. 10 lakhs to Azharuddin and also paid a sum of Rs. 5 lacs to Dr. Irani. However, at this point of time, Azhar's predictions were not proving correct and MK thought he should cultivate the South African team. He came back to India between the second and third tests and rang up Hansie Cronje who assured him that SA would lose the third test. However, that test was drawn.

Sometime during that period, MK had transferred around $50,000 to the bank account of Hansie Cronje in SA. He went back to SA during the one-day series but stated that Hansie Cronje did not gather counrage to meet him, since he had misled him about the 3rd test. However, he left a message on his mobile that he sould forget the past and talk to him.

Hansie Cronje rang up MK and apologised and promised him SA would lose some of the one-day matches and he would provide the exact information. MK has stated that all the information provided by Hansie Cronje turned out incorrect and he suffered huge losses. When he spoke to Hansie Cronje about this, Cronje told him that India had played so badly and misses so many chance that he could do nothing about the result.

After coming back to India, Azharuddin promised that he would "do" some matches for him during the Sahara Cup Tournament at Toronto in 1997. He informed MK that his wife Sangita Bijlani would ring him up and provide the necessary information. MK stated that most of Sangita's predictions turned out incorrect and MK for the feeling that the couple was misguiding them.

MK thought that either Azharuddin was perhaps involved with some other bookies at that time or he did not have the requisite number of players to fix a match. During his association with Azhar, MK must have paid him around Rs. 90 lakhs, which also included the money paid through Dr. Ali Irani.

However, a few months after the Sahara Cup 1997, MK asked Azhar to return some of his money since his information had proved useless. He stated that he recovered around 30 lakhs in instalments which he collected from Azhar's locker at Hotel Taj Palace through one Anil Saxena, an employee of hotel Taj Palace, who was a close friend of Azhar and also from Ajay Sharma who had come to deposit some money in the same locker. MK also revealed that Azharuddin had a permanent locker at Hotel Taj and used to operate it through Anil Saxena, who had the keys.

MK disclosed that Manoj Prabhakar was also in good terms with another punter Tipu Kohli during his association with MK. MK further revealed the name of one Gyan Gupta and his family members and stated that they were also into match fixing. He added that the Pakistan team was very close to a bookie named Hanif Cadbury who was killed some time back in SA and most probably they were "doing" match for him also.

MK revealed that all payments made by him in foreign exchange were transacted through hawala channels and foreign exchange was obtained from touts operating in Jama Masjid area in Delhi. MK completely left betting and also other association with book making in May 1998.

@ ANIL NAGADA @ ANIL STEEL
Anil Steel, a bookie of Mumbai, stated that he had started his career as a bookmaker in 1992 and came in touch with Mukesh Kumar Gupta of Delhi sometime in 1994. He stated the MK Gupta was very close to Manoj Prabhakar and Azharuddin in the Indian team. Through them, he used to fix matches and accordingly places bets and operate his business. Sometime in 1994-95, when the West Indies team visited India, MK had fixed some one in the West Indies team and both of them made good money during that series. In 1996, MK Gupta had fixed some matches through Azharuddin in the Titan Cup but some of the information provided by Azharuddin had proved incorrect and both himself and MK lost a lot of money.

After this series, he became a defaulter in the market and ran away to Goa since he was unable to pay his customers. MK had told him that he had met Hansie Cronje at Kanpur when the South Africans had visited India. He also stated that MK was very close to Arvinda D' Silva and Ranatunga. Anil Steel admitted that during his dealings with Mukesh Gupta, on 2 occasions, he had made payments of around Rs. 20-25 lacs on MK's behalf to Dr. Ali Irani at Nanawati Hospital, Bombay. MK had told him that the payment was meant for Mohd Azharuddin for the information provided by him.

Anil Steel also stated that he was introduced to Asif Iqbal by one D.P. Javeri, who is a jeweller at Bombay. This introduction took place sometime in 1995. At present, he and Asif Iqbal are on very friendly terms and whenever Asif visits Bombay, he calls on Anil Steel and has on some occasions visited his residence along with his family. Asif Iqbal provides Anil Steel information about the pitch, weather, probable results, etc. in cricket matches throughout the world and Anil has also given some gifts of jewellery items etc. to Asif and his family in return for this information.

Anil Steel introduced MK to Asif Iqbal in 1996 in Calcutta during the World Cup inaugural Ceremony. He had also met Ajay Jadeja in MK's hotel room arounf that time. He lost a heavy amount of money as a result of his association with MK and stopped contacts with him some time in 1997.

ANAND SAGAR SAXENA @ ANAND@ CHIKNA Anand Sagar SAXENA #
Chikna, bookie of Delhi, stated that sometime in 1986-87, he came to know MK and became his partner in bookmaking. In the World Cup of 1987, both of them had earned a good amount of money through betting. When asked about his links with Manoj Prabhakar, he stated that he was very friendly with Manoj Prabhakar and he came in touch with him since Anand Saxena's wife runs a beauty parlour and Manoj's wife visited that parlour and through her, he came in contact with Manoj Prabhakar.

On being asked whether he was not in touch with Manoj Prabhakar during the latter's association with MK, he stated that perhaps it was possible that he had met him the, but MK was very secretive about his links with cricket players. Anand Saxena stated that he is not directly involved with any player and basically used to maintain books for MK and deal with payment of punters etc.

Sometime in 1994, his relationship with MK deteriorated leading to an end in partnership. Manoj is friendly with him even now and some times places bets on cricket matches through him. He is a partner in Hotel 'Pearl' at Mussourie and Manoj has often availed of his hospitality in Mussourie. He stated that Manoj Prabhakar was also close to one Tipu Kohli, a punter. According to him, some of the names which figure in the bookie circles with regard to match fixing are Rattan Mehta, Gyan Gupta and his family.

SANJIV KOHLI @TIPU KOHLI
Sanjiv Kohli has a chain of restaurants by the name of Moti Mahal in different parts of Delhi. He is a punter and places bets in cricket matches with some of the Delhi bookies, namely Hans and Deepak and also with Shobhan Mehta of Bombay. He started placing bets on cricket matches in the year 1992 on a small scale and has continued to do so ever since. He knows Manoj from around 1992. He first met him in South Delhi Club and came to know that he was very close to one Anand Saxena who is a well-known bookie. Thereafter, their relationship started and he used to meet him in a number of parties off and on.

Sanjiv Kohli further stated that as he was a punter, he thought some advance information about cricket matches would be useful for him. As his relationship with Manoj grew, he started asking him for information regarding pitch, weather, etc. He was in touch with him when England visited India in 1993 and subsequently in some other series also. As far as he remembers, he had paid Manoj around 1 lakh to provide information in matches in which he played. On some occasions, he may have given Manoj some gifts etc. for the information he had provided, but does not remember the details.

Sanjiv Kohli started feeling that some of the info provided was not correct and therefore stopped having any contacts with him. the last time he met Manoj was when Manoj stood for Parliamentary elections. Manoj had also asked him for some money to finance his election, which he refused. [Contd...]