22 yards of deceit continues………

The matter reached the Parliament and the Government of India decided to order the CBI to go into the entire gamut of malpractices existing in Indian cricket. On May 2, 2000 the CBI commenced its enquiry. The team heading the enquiry was Joint Director Ravi Sawani, an Indian Police Service Officer, a year junior to me in service. The cricketing world waited with bated breath on what the CBI would expose, and the CBI waited for a breakthrough.

Within a couple of weeks of the CBI undertaking the enquiry, an old and trusted informant from my Delhi Police days sought time and met me to say that the man CBI might be looking for, namely M K Gupta, wanted to meet me. Ignorant of who Gupta was, I asked the informant: ‘Gupta who?’ He was surprised I was unaware of M.K. Gupta – the ‘baap’ (Father) of all bookies and fixers of cricket. Even further intrigued, I asked the informant: ‘Why would he want to meet me?’ ‘Sir, you are the only person in the CBI who he has heard of,’ he replied. I further queried: ‘How and when did he hear of me?’ He said: ‘Sir, his father owns a jewellery shop in South Extension- I. You were once the DCP of the area and had held a meeting of the Market Association where his father and he were both present.’ I asked ‘Does he want to surrender to the CBI?’ He answered: ‘Sir, he will first like to meet you.’

To be continued………..