Bookie links traced in IPL 'Talent Hunt' scam

Following intense investigations, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, earlier this year busted the IPL ‘Talent Hunt’ racket. It has now been revealed that the main culprit in the case was in touch with Priyank Saxena, an infamous bookie who had allegedly offered to fix matches in international cricket tournaments.

On December 1, earlier in the month, the Property Cell of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch had arrested Vijay Barhate, Jeevan Mukadam and Dinesh More for allegedly cheating 11 Mumbai based budding cricketers by posing as talent hunt partners for Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The police claimed that the trio has cheated the cricketers with heavy sums of money. At least Rs. 68.06 lakh has been estimated, which was acquired by promising the cricketers spots on the IPL team as well as in Ranji Trophy matches.

And according to Crime Branch reports, Barhate was in regular touch with Saxena who, along with his partner Sobers Joban, was exposed by The Sun, a British newspaper, while offering to fix matches in the ongoing Ashes series.

Bookie Sobers Joban gives proof of playing alongside Virat Kohli in Delhi

The Sun earlier published evidence of bookmakers offering to sell details of rigged periods of play for in the recently concluded Perth Test According to the British outlet, bookie Sobers Joban also stated that he played with Virat Kohli for one of the domestic cricket teams in Delhi.

Joban boasted about sending “signals” to players before overs during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match. The report also stated that he could have been involved in the fixing four to five Big Bash League games

The Sun report quoted him saying as he discussed players’ gestures to indicate a fix. “They are well signaled in advance. In every IPL match, the signals are purposely not shown on the live broadcasts.”

Joban added, “I give you a red watch, you wear a red watch. In the IPL five t-shirts will be the full size, five will be half sleeves. A player bowls the over in full t-shirt, that is the signal.”