Investigators with the crime branch of Bengaluru police arrested Karnataka’s league cricket team Belagavi Panthers’ owner Asfaq Ali Thara for his alleged involvement in a betting scam in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) tournament, run by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on Tuesday.
According to police, the suspect Thara was allegedly in touch with a bookie hailing from Dubai.
“On a tip-off that Thara was in touch with a Dubai-based bookie, the city’s central crime branch police have taken him into custody on Tuesday to unearth the betting scam in the league cricket,” Bengaluru joint commissioner of police Sandeep Patil said.
The KSCA runs the KPL T-20 tournament every year on the lines of the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) T-20 tournament by the cash-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“We are investigating Thara’s role in an alleged match-fixing in which a few players of other teams are reportedly involved. We have summoned them also for questioning, as he was in touch with some of them,” Patil said in a statement.
The KPL tournament for 2019 was held from 16-31 August.
The KPL has seven teams representing prominent cities and towns across the southern state, including Bengaluru Blasters, Bellary Tuskers, Bijapur Bulls, Hubli Tigers, Mysuru Warriors and Namma Shivamogga squad.
(With inputs from IANS)