BCCI Working Committee to decide on quantum of punishment for IPL spot fixers:Rajeev Shukla

Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council Chairman Rajeev Shukla on Saturday said that the Working Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would meet in Chennai on Sunday to decide on the quantum of punishment to be given to the three cricketers accused of spot fixing in the sixth edition of the event.

Interacting with media here, Shukla said: "The BCCI Working Committee will decide on the intensity of the punishment and the toughest punishment will be given out to the guilty. There will be strict action against the guilty. We want the Delhi Police to do its inquiry thoroughly in this matter."

Shukla further said that the BCCI and the anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council (ICC) are both are engaged in the IPL, and are monitoring the matches.

"The BCCI's anti-corruption unit has its limitations. The Delhi Police will probe the issue. Whoever is guilty will not be spared. He will be punished. The culprits must be caught," said Shukla.

"The BCCI will take stringent measures. It will cooperate with the Delhi Police. I wish to congratulate the Delhi Police and Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar for exposing this (spot fixing)," Shukla added.

Shukla's statement came even as the Delhi Police said on Saturday that it has sent investigators to four cities in the country to trace the money trail in the IPL spot-fixing case.

Police teams have been sent to Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Sreesanth and the other two cricketers-Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila-were arrested in Mumbai on Thursday by Delhi Police for spot-fixing IPL matches for payments of upto Rs 60 lakh just for giving away pre-determined number of runs in an over.

According to police sources, Chandila allegedly got Rs 20 lakh for spot-fixing. Sreesanth also allegedly received money in connection with spot fixing, the sources said, adding Chavan did not receive money as he was arrested as soon as the match ended and the transaction could not take place.

Sources said all calls to and for Sreesanth were made by his close friend Jiju.

"Jiju has been a constant companion of Sreesanth and had been travelling with him and staying in the same hotel," a senior police official said.

The Delhi Police on Friday claimed that Sreesanth and the two other arrested Rajasthan Royal(RR) players have confessed to spot-fixing in IPL matches.

Six bookies were held in Tamil Nadu in connection with another IPL betting racket and one each picked up in Mumbai and Delhi on Friday. 11 bookies were arrested earlier along with cricketers Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila.

Lawyers of the three cricketers have denied their involvement and claimed that they were falsely implicated as part of a deep-rooted conspiracy.

The role of more players whose names cropped up during interrogation of the arrested cricketers and bookies in the IPL spot-fixing scandal could be probed, police had said.

Delhi Police is also likely to probe some more IPL matches in the current season even as Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila along with 11 other arrested bookies were subjected to interrogation by its Special Cell.