Spot fixing: Three cricketers questioned together

Three Rajasthan Royal players, S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan, arrested for alleged spot fixing in IPL cricket matches, were Saturday questioned in each others presence by Delhi Police, an official said.

The suspects confessed their crime but blamed each other for dragging them into spot fixing, police sources said.

The accused cricketers, who are in police custody, were brought before each other in a room in the office of the Special Cell of police in Lodhi Colony in south Delhi and questioned for two hours, the sources said.

This was the first occasion when the three players were confronted with each other for since their arrest Thursday. They were questioned separately Friday, police said.

The accused's interrogation was done under the supervision of Special Commissioner of Police S.N. Srivastava, police sources said.

During separate interrogation Saturday, 11 bookies, all of whom are in police custody, were also brought before each other, sources said.

Delhi Police also conducted raids in several cities including Mumbai and Ahmedabad to track the money trail in connection with the alleged spot fixing racket, sources said.

The three cricketers and 11 bookies, who are in five days police custody, were charged under penal provisions for cheating and criminal conspiracy. If cheating charges against the accused are proved, they may get a maximum punishment of seven years each.

The Delhi Police arrested the three players in a post-midnight operation in Mumbai May 16 for spot fixing in IPL matches for payments of upto Rs.60 lakh, just for giving away a pre-determined number of runs in an over.