The Jayanagar police have filed an FIR against a bookie who allegedly contacted a premier league cricket player with an offer of ₹40 lakh to fix upcoming matches.
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Based on the complaint filed by B. Lokesh, a member of the anti-corruption unit of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the police registered a case against the suspected bookie, identified as Bunny Anand. “He is on the run, and efforts are on to track him down. He was charged under various sections of the Karnataka Police Act and for criminal conspiracy and cheating under the IPC on Friday,” said a police officer.
Mr. Lokesh in his complaint said Anand, through his Instagram account, approached R. Sathish, a cricketer with the Tamil Nadu Premier League, who has also played in Indian Premier League matches for Mumbai, Punjab, and Kolkata. Anand reportedly offered him ₹40 lakh stating that two players had already accepted the offer.
According to the complaint, the cricketer rejected the offer and approached the anti-corruption unit of the BCCI. “The Instagram account from where the offer was made found to be operated from Bengaluru. The Jayanagar police have initiated investigations and are trying to track down Anand.
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In 2019, the Central Crime Branch police had uncovered a similar betting racket within the Karnataka Premier League where several cricketers and bookies were working hand-in-glove to fix matches.