“Kingpin” to fix the racket in Australia is Indian on BCCI radar

An Indian man, who has been identified by police in Australia as the suspected leader of a major international tennis match-fixing union, comes from Mohali near Chandigarh and is on the watch list of the Indian cricket board, said the BCCI’s main anti-corruption official. Indian Express.

On Saturday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Victoria police named Ravinder Dandiwal as the “central figure” in the repair scam where officers convinced low-ranking tennis players to launch matches while partners made bets with bookmakers.

On Sunday, the head of the BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), Ajit Singh, confirmed that Dandiwal is “a person of interest.” “He is originally from Mohali, near Chandigarh, but he moves around a lot in the Middle East and other places. His name is among those who organize cricket leagues. Once he was listed in a private cricket league in Haryana, the ACU escaped. A notice was sent to all players registered with BCCI not to participate, “he said.

Another ACU official said “Dandiwal’s photos show” Kingpin “of fixing the racket in Australia being Indian on the BCCI radar during each educational session, informing national and national players not to entertain him.”

While Dandiwal has not been charged, the SMH reported that Indian-born Melbourne residents Rajesh Kumar and Harsimrat Singh appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday for allegedly trying to win up to AUS $ 320,000 in fixed games using illegal means.

Victoria police accused the two of allegedly “corrupting” at least two tennis tournaments in Brazil and Egypt in 2018.

The charges against Rajesh and Harsimrat are that they received information that “one or more of the players … had agreed with Ravinder Dandiwal to manipulate the outcome of the match” or the players had been “recruited (by him) to engage in conduct corrupt. ” Then the duo allegedly made or attempted to place bets on the outcome of sets or matches with large corporate sportsbooks.

Dhaliwal did not respond to calls and text messages from The Indian Express seeking comment on the allegations.

On social media, his profiles list him as “Dandiwal aka RS Dandiwal”, “Secretary-General of the Cricket Council of India”, “President of the Premier Cricket League” and “Managing Director” of Ultimate Sports Management. The logo of the Cricket Council of India resembles that of the BCCI, with the shape of its outer edges and the name of the organization among the few visible differences.

Singh, the BCU chief of ACU, said: “In Nepal, he had organized a league, which was reportedly corrupt but beyond our reach. And I think it has also been investigated by the ICC. ”

According to him, the Indian junta had previously filed a police complaint against Dandiwal. “He had brought a cricket team to Australia, where a club was hosting a tournament, and some players from that team never returned … We found that the missing players had large sums to be part of the team.” It was probably an immigration scam and that is why we filed a complaint with the police, “he said.

“There have been inquiries about him, but he is not a participant, so there are very few steps we can take against him.” It has not been included in the consultations we carried out in the T20 leagues (organized by state associations). But he is a person of interest, and we try to keep him under surveillance, “Singh said.

“Australia has a law against (match-fixing) and the police have taken action. If there was a law here, perhaps the police could have taken action against him, “he said.

Dandiwal is known on the Chandigarh cricket circuit and had been organizing tournaments and private leagues that were not recognized by the BCCI. He has also been involved with T20 leagues abroad.

“When the Afghan Premier League happened two years ago, Dandiwal was named CEO of one of the franchises. We informed the ICC about the presence of Dandiwal there and they informed the Cricket Board of Afghanistan, “Singh said.