Gurgaon Police Investigating Cash-For-Selection Scandal Involving Officials Of Three State Cricket Associations

The Gurgaon Police’s Economic Offences Wing-2 is investigating a cash-for-selection case involving officials from three state cricket associations, a couple of former Bengal U-19 and IPL cricketers, operators of a sports management company and also the ex-convener of selectors of Delhi cricket.

Earlier on 9^th July, Uttar Pradesh (UP) player Anshul Raj filed a complaint against the president of Secure Corporate Management Ashutosh Bora of defrauding the cricketer of Rs 10 lakh by promising him a position in the Himachal Pradesh U-23 side for the BCCI-conducted CK Nayadu tournament.

The Gurgaon Police then went on to seize contract papers of 18 players from Bora’s office in Sohna Road. They further probed money trail, travel plans, phone conversations and WhatsApp chats to arrest Bora and his associate Danish Mirza, who has previously represented Bengal in the U-19 level.

The police also filed a chargesheet on this case last week and notices have accordingly been sent to the cricket officials from Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi and the officials running the T20 Bihar Cricket League.

Police sources reveal that bank statements linked to Bora show money being transferred from his account to Sanjay Bharadwaj and a company connected to Nabam Vivek. Bharadwaj is the former convener of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) and Vivek is the vice-president of the Arunachal Cricket Association (ACA).

Officials belonging to the Bihar Cricket Association too were asked to appear for investigations as the police discovered that Secure Corporate Management and Bora had made travel arrangements for at least one of them.

Anshul Raj explained in his complaint that Bora promised him a place in the Sikkim domestic team as well. He alleged that Javed Khan, who previously played T20 cricket for Delhi and was also a part of the Mumbai Indians squad a long time back, was projected as the face of the sports management firm.

Dharamveer Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police of Economic Offences Wing-2 of the Gurgaon Police, told the Indian Express, “A chargesheet against seven accused in the case was presented in court on November 1. In the subsequent probe, we will ask the others, whose names have come up, to join the investigation and question them.”