CBI closes 2019 IPL betting cases over lack of evidence

CBI closes two cases related to alleged IPL match fixing in 2019 due to lack of evidence; court to decide further action.

The CBI has closed two cases related to alleged fixing of Indian Premier League matches in 2019 "based on inputs" from Pakistan due to lack of evidence, officials said on January 2.

The agency had filed two FIRs in May 2022 against seven people after receiving information that "a network of individuals involved in cricket betting are influencing the outcome of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches based on inputs received from Pakistan".

The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) named Dileep Kumar, based in Delhi's Rohini, and Gurram Vasu and Gurram Satish -- based in Hyderabad — as accused in its first FIR. Sajjan Singh, Prabhu Lal Meena, Ram Avtar and Amit Kumar Sharma, all from Rajasthan, were named as accused in the second FIR.

After nearly two years of probe, the CBI could not find enough evidence to proceed with the prosecution against them.

The agency filed a closure report in a special court on December 23, in which it has given detailed description of the allegations and its probe in the matter, besides citing reasons for recommending the closure of the case, officials said.

It will now be up to the court to decide whether to accept the report filed by the agency or order it to continue further investigations, they said.

The agency had booked these people on allegations that they were running the racket for more than 10-13 years with suspicious cash transactions being made from their accounts, the officials said.