Mumbai, April 18: Look into evidence indicating that some senior IPL officials placed bets with international websites on match results
Income-Tax officers investigating the Indian Premier League (IPL) for alleged financial irregularities and flaws in its bidding process, are looking into evidence indicating that some senior members of the league had placed bets on the results of the matches with registered betting websites overseas.
The websites, sources in the investigating team said, are international brands such as UK-based Ladbrokes and William Hill. “We are looking into the matter. Preliminary investigations suggest that there is something of this nature going on,” one of the officers who is a part of the investigating team told Mumbai Mirror.
Official sources said some other legal betting websites being used were www.paddypower.com and www.lambipaari.com. In some cases, the bets were placed through agents in other countries via cell phone from the stadium itself.
While these allegations are only of placing bets, and not of match-fixing, they are being taken seriously because of a natural conflict of interest if people in position to influence the league are themselves profiting from it.
“We cannot take any names at this stage,” said an I-T officer when asked who the officials were. “If any unquestionable link is established, we will turn over all the data to the Foreign Trade Division (FTD) in New Delhi for further examination.”
‘No mystery woman’
Meanwhile, Income-Tax sources dismissed reports that an alleged ‘mystery woman’ had removed some important papers and computers from the IPL’s office at the Four Seasons Hotel, Worli, in a bid to conceal the league’s financial dealings.
While they confirmed that Laila Mehmood, step daughter of Vijay Mallya who works with Modi in the IPL, had gone to the IPL office prior to the arrival of the taxmen, they said she had been asked by Modi to collect some papers and files that the Income Tax officers surveying the BCCI headquarters had themselves asked for.
“Modi said he would take some time to reach us from where he was in the suburbs.
“So he sent Ms Laila Mehmood to collect the documents and computer on his behalf. This was duly handed over to us,” one source said. Mehmood was questioned by I-T officials on Saturday evening.
Modi continued to put up a brave face again yesterday, making fresh allegations against union minister Shashi Tharoor, whose fate may be decided on Sunday after his public spat with Modi over the IPL’s new Kochi franchise has put both men in the firing line.
–Agencies