New Delhi/Bangalore:
In a move that is expected to bolster the case of the Delhi Police, Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid will serve as a prosecution witness in the IPL
spot-fixing case where three of his teammates star as the main accused.
Dravid, who recorded his statement with the Special Cell of Delhi Police last week at his residence in Bangalore, reportedly told the cops that he was shocked and felt cheated by the conduct of the three Royals players who were arrested in May while the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was on. The trio -
S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila - is accused of having conceded a pre-decided number of runs in specific overs in certain matches.
"I never had any doubt about these players. I used to select players on a match-to-match basis," the former Test captain said in his statement, recorded under section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Cops are also planning to record the statement of Rajasthan Royals' coach Paddy Upton, who is currently in South Africa.
Police have already questioned and recoded the statements of several other players from the franchise whose co-owner Raj Kundra allegedly confessed to cops of having placed bets on his own team through bookies.
Delhi Police is reportedly trying to file the chargesheet in the case by the end of the month, before its chief and Commissioner of Police Neeraj Kumar retires.
Sreesanth, along with Chavan and Chandila, have been charged under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). While Chandila is in custody, the other two players are out on bail along with 18 bookies, due to lack of evidence under MCOCA.
The spot-fixing scandal, which has seen Indian cricket mired in one of its biggest crises, has also seen allegations of the involvement of the underworld.