The Rishi Pal Chat
L'affaire Hansie Cronje hit the cricket-loving public with the impact of a megaton bomb on Friday afternoon.
Shock. Disbelief. Scepticism. Initial reactions, prompted mainly by the fact that the person involved is one of the cricketing icons of the age, arguably among the most respected and admired cricket captains extant.
Had the Delhi police jumped the gun? Are the charges valid? The questions proliferated. In a bid to get answers, we got Assistant Commissioner of Police Rishi Pal, of the anti-extortion cell, crime branch, Delhi police, on chat. Pal is the case in-charge, who has been spearheading the investigation for almost a month before the police finally burst their bombshell.
It was hard enough getting Pal on chat, given the enormous constraints on his time on a day when he and his mates were very much in the spotlight. It was harder still getting him to stay focussed -- what with the phones ringing off the hook, and the entire police hierarchy wanting meetings and such, his attention span was somewhat limited. However, he did field a few questions, and left with a promise to return for a more detailed chat, once the dust had settled somewhat. Excerpts:
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:2 IST)
Good evening. I am glad to be chatting with you. I am sorry I was delayed. You can understand that we were busy with investigations. I will be glad to take your questions now.
Kirmani (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:2 IST)
Who among the Indian players are involved, according to you?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:3 IST)
Kirmani: Investigations so far has not thrown up any involvment of any Indian players.
Kishore (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:4 IST)
Hi Pal, dont you think that if we can't prove this properly it will be a shame for our country and police department? Instead I think we should have gone deep, confirmed and then let it out to the public.
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:4 IST)
Kishore: I dont think so. Are you sure we have not gone into the depths of it? I am sure we did. Check your facts
Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:2 IST)
HEY Mr Pal is the voice confirmed to be that of Hansie????
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:5 IST)
Pal: Anyone with some sense would obviously have confirmed these things before bursting the bubble, that too before the the international press.
Devvas (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:6 IST)
Hi Mr.Pal, Are you confident that you can pull this off. I mean, can you stretch it to the "logical conclusion" as they say on almost all cases?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:6 IST)
Devvas: Confident? Pull it off? We have already done it dear. Haven't you seen the videos, and clippings? More seriously, yes, we have enough evidence to substantiate the charges we have made.
Bujji (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:8 IST)
Mr Pal please answer my question.. why didn't you release the full tapes... I suspect that the other parts are having names of indian players.. what do you say?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:8 IST)
Bujji: Tapes cannot be released at this poin because they are part of the investigation and to release the tapes entirely could prejudice the course of the investigation.
Bhim (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:4 IST)
Mr. Pal: Namaste. How did you get to tape-record the conversation between Cronje and Sanjay???
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:9 IST)
Bhim: I am paid for it. This is my job. And we do have informers whose information we develop and see what the result is!!
Nilesh (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:5 IST)
My million dollar question, why did take so long for you to file the FIR.. why not catch them red handed??
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:9 IST)
Nilesh: There were no red hands, only secret transfers of money. Believe me, we did try to catch people redhanded, but it was not possible, at least, not the cricket players.
Ameya Prabhu (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:7 IST)
Mr.Pal, if Hansie is given summons how will you be able to extoridate him from SA and is it right for only Hansie to be convicted when all matches in Sharjah are decided through bets?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:11 IST)
Ameya Prabhu: We will do this part of the investigation and follow up through Interpol.
Vijay (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:8 IST)
MR.PAL... as this is not the first time that match fixing is getting revealed... Do you think they are fools to think they are not being monitored and to talk so openly?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:12 IST)
Vijay: Well they may not think so. But what we have finally proved?
Vijay (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:9 IST)
Mr.Pal.. .are you guys monitoring Indians too??
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:13 IST)
Vijay: We are investigating all elements. Anything serious comes out, we will get back to you.
Jayadas (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:11 IST)
Would this lead to a widespread investigation of betting involving Indian players also ?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:15 IST)
Jayadas: We will investigate every aspect of this scam. Anybody and everybody is included.
Devvas (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:14 IST)
Mr.Pal What is the probability that it is a prank played by some one who just wanted to have a heck of a time??
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:16 IST)
Devvas: My dear we are conducting serious investigations. There is hardly any place for any pranks.
Prabu (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:15 IST)
Mr. Pal, are taped conversations proof enough to prove one's crime in court?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:17 IST)
Prabu: Yes. There are certain cases of Supreme Court where the audio tapes have been accepted as evidence. Only thing is, we have to adopt certain proceedures in such cases. And trust me, we followed the book to the hilt in this case.
Rahul Pandey (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:14 IST)
Has any money really changed hands as yet?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:18 IST)
Rahul Pandey: We are investigating these aspects.
Bujji (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:22 IST)
Mr.Pal please answer my queation.. i am damn sure you had tapped our Indian players' phones too.. what do those tapes tell?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:23 IST)
Bujji: How are you so sure? To the best of my knowledge tapes do not have any vocal chords.
Sada (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:21 IST)
What will be the maximum penalty if convicted under this charge
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:24 IST)
Sada: See the Indian Penal Code.
Prabu (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:23 IST)
Mr. Pal, you say that you were tapping on these lines for a while. The tapes also mention about the match in Cochin (right)...do you have any evidence in your possession regarding this match?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:26 IST)
Prabhu: Follow the case as it develops, and you will know. Why get impatient?
Bujji (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:25 IST)
Mr. Pal will you stop joking.. we have been waiting here for more than an hour.. and this is what you tell us.. you need not be so evasive.,.. aren't you confident of your own evidence? I am sure what i asked was a good question.. if you can't answer that please say so
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:28 IST)
Bujji: I am sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. But there are certain things which cannot be shared at this moment. I hope you understand.
ItisJAI (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:36 IST)
Hey Mr Pal, what is the next step in the case?
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:39 IST)
ItisJAI: We will interrogate the accused who has been arrested. And pursue other avenues of this investigation. Let new facts come to light, I am sure there will be a few more surprises for you all.
Mr Rishi Pal (Fri Apr 7 19100 11:40 IST)
Friends, it was nice chatting with you. Hope to get back to you in a couple of days. Thanks.
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