CCB raids KSCA secretary Santosh Menon in KPL scam

Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths on Thursday raided Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary Santosh Menon in connection with the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) betting and match-fixing scam.

Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), said the police have found a link between Menon and the accused in the betting racket. “The raids were conducted at Menon’s residence in Dollars Colony in Sanjay Nagar after a search warrant was obtained from the court,” the officer said.

He said the raids which began at 7 am went on till 2 pm, following which Menon was questioned and his statement recorded. Patil said they collected some documents and technical evidence. “We also issued a notice to him to appear for further questioning.”

Patil said Arvind Reddy, the Bellary team owner, was summoned to CCB office on Wednesday for interrogation. Reddy had absconded after his name surfaced during investigation.

A lookout circular was subsequently issued against him. Fearing arrest, he obtained anticipatory bail last week and appeared for interrogation.

The KSCA said in a statement that Menon has assured the CCB of full cooperation in the probe.

On December 4, the CCB had conducted raids at the Domlur residence of Sudheendra Shinde, who was in the KSCA management committee, following which he was arrested.

So far, the CCB has arrested nine people, including cricketers, coaches, team owners and bookies who are part of the match-fixing racket. Investigations revealed that several players were lured with honeytrap, foreign trips and money.