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Alleged bookie Sanjeev Chawla at Patiala House Court – PTI
NEW DELHI, (REUTERS): Delhi police have said London-based Indian bookmaker Sanjeev Chawla, who has been accused of involvement in a 2000 match-fixing scandal involving former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje, is in custody following his extradition from Britain.
The police have been seeking Chawla’s extradition since naming him in their 2013 charge-sheet along with four others.
A local court has ordered Chawla, who arrived in India on Thursday, to remain in police custody for 12 days, a senior crime branch officer of the Delhi Police said in a statement.
The 2000 scandal, dubbed ‘Hansiegate’, opened the cricket world’s eyes to the dangers of match-fixing, former joint commissioner KK Paul, who led the probe in 2000, told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
“This case was important for many reasons,” he said after Chawla’s arrival in India. “It exposed the extent of match-fixing. Many had refused to believe such a thing could happen.” Delhi Police had been probing an unrelated extortion case when they stumbled upon a tape that eventually led to the unearthing of a scandal that rocked the game.
After initially denying fixing charges, Cronje confessed his role to an inquiry commission in South Africa. He was subsequently banned for life but died in a plane crash in 2002.
