"It's a good development"- R.N.Sawani

Sheela Bhatt

Chief of the CBI team probing the match-fixing case, R N Sawani had no information about the news of the arrest of Sanjeev Chawla in London by the Scotland Yard.
He said, "I really don't know about his arrest, hum to ghar main baithe hai." (I am relaxing at home)

In a telephonic interview with rediff.com, the CBI Joint Director said," The arrest of Chawla will not directly affect our case. They were dealing with England, South African and West Indies players. But definitely it's a good development, which will enhance the co-operation between the Scotland Yard and the CBI. We will be quite willing to help them in this direction. Inquiry on Chris Lewis's statement was on since October 1999." Sawani emphasized," I am sure they must have received some solid evidence otherwise Englishmen would not arrest Chawla."

He added," When we had met Scotland Yard's Serious Crime Group, a metropolitan body that investigates organised crime, we had told them about the whereabouts and movements of Chawla and others. Hum unko kafi bolkar aaye the." (We had passed on substantial information.)

According to the reports published in The Observer," Scotland Yard inquiries have also taken in a number of Indian businessmen-cum-bookmakers, with Chawla, Kheterpal and Jagdish Sodha, a prominent figure in India's Bollywood film industry, high on their list. The officer added: 'Sodha was with Kheterpal around the time of his meetings with Lewis and Fleming. Sodha and Kheterpal have been interviewed in Bombay and Delhi. "
When asked about the Sodha's involvement Mr. Sawani revealed, "He is also the financier of the film Vaastav." The movie starred Sanjay Dutt and Namrata Shirodkar and was directed by Mahesh Manjrekar."

As per early information available with the CBI there is a distinct possibility that match fixing and the presence of the underworld in Bollywood could prove to be inter-linked.

Betting scandal: The complete coverage

Mail Cricket Editor