New Delhi: Even as the Rajasthan Royals management yesterday threatened to suspend its co-owner Raj Kundra if found guilty of “betting and spot fixing”, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar confirmed the British national cannot be arrested until they have material evidence against him.
In a related development, Delhi Police got the custody of alleged bookie Ramesh Vyas, who was arrested by the Crime Branch of Mumbai police May 18, and is being brought to the Capital.
A police officer said Vyas, who was allegedly handling the south Indian betting syndicate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, was handed over to Delhi Police yesterday.
Rajasthan Royals chairman Ranjit Barthakur and chief executive Raghu Iyer in a joint statement said Kundra was only a minority shareholder (11.7 percent) and he is not involved in the running of the team, while the Delhi Police chief said though Kundra admitted to betting on his team, he could not be arrested on mere suspicion. Stating that as an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise the same rules apply for players, management and owners, Barthakur and Iyer said they were working hard as co-complainants to ensure that all information was made available to the investigating authorities.
“In the last few days, various members of the Royal’s management have been assisting the Delhi Police in their investigation for a better appreciation and understanding of the matter. As we have stated before, we are cooperating with the authorities to ensure a thorough enquiry and will continue to share any such information that they may seek from us in the future,” the franchise said in a statement.
“As such, our actions will be consistent as in the case of the spot fixing allegations with respect to our players. Raj Kundra is a minority (11.7 percent) shareholder, and he has no involvement in the running of the franchise. We believe that Raj Kundra is a law abiding citizen and would not act contrary to law. If however, he is proven guilty, or has breached any regulations, he will be suspended and he will also forfeit his shares. This is a strict governance procedure agreed to by all Rajasthan Royals shareholders, and it is consistent with our zero tolerance approach,” the statement read.IANS
