The recently-suspended IPL witnessed potential corruptors plugging an accredited cleaner at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla ground for doing 'pitch-siding' which helps ball-to-ball betting, BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit chief Shabbir Hussain Shekhadam Khandwawala has revealed. (More Cricket news)
The new modus operandi was observed during one of the IPL games at New Delhi where a designated cleaner was using the time lag between actual match action and live TV coverage to help in ball-by ball betting, which is also known as court-siding or pitch siding.
Pitch-siding is the practice of transmitting information from sporting events for the purpose of gambling, or directly placing bets.
"One of my ACU officers caught a person and handed over the details to Delhi Police. While that particular offender managed to flee leaving behind his two mobile phones, ACU lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police," Hussain, a former DG of Gujarat Police, told PTI on Wednesday.
"We are thankful to Delhi Police that in a separate incident they caught two other persons from the Kotla on ACU tip-off."
The Delhi Police arrested two people with fake accreditation cards during the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad on May 2.
"So on two separate days, these people managed to get access to Kotla. The one who fled came in the garb of a cleaner. However, we have all his details as he was employed for the tournament. His Aadhar Card details have been handed over to Delhi Police," Hussain said.
"I am confident that he will be nabbed in a day or two. He is a small fry working for a couple of hundred or some thousand bucks may be," the ACU supremo said.
But he did agree that lower-rung staff might be used by a bigger syndicate since, because of COVID-19, there is no access to hotels given the bio-secure measures.
"...as situations and circumstances change, so does the modus operandi of crime. But we are up for it," Hussaid said.
So how did cleaning staff come under the ACU radar?
"He was standing (inside Feroz Shah Kotla premises) in a secluded area all by himself and so one of our officers approached and asked him 'What are you doing here?'
"He said:"Main apne girlfriend se baat kar raha hoon. (I am talking to my girlfriend).