Kathmandu, January 23
Police have arrested two former and current cricketers–Mehboob Alam and Adil Ansari–in connection with the spot-fixing charges in the controversial Nepal T20 League.
A high-level source in the national police organisation says a team deployed from the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police arrested them recently. The CIB has been looking into irregularities in the cricket tournament, and it has recently confirmed spot-fixing and also suspected chances of match-fixing.
Alam is one of the most celebrated players in Nepal’s cricket history. He has a record of claiming 10 wickets from opponents in a single match. Ansari, however, does not have a long cricket career as he debuted as a member of the national team in the spring of 2022.
The bureau says they were involved in the fixing plan made by Seven3Sports co-founder, Jatin Ahluwalia. Seven3Sports was the strategic partner of the league.
Gyanendra Malla, the captain of Kathmandu Knights, had informed Nepal T20 League’s anti-corruption unit chief Vir Singh that his players had received offers to fix matches.
Sachin Timalsina, a commentator, also released a video on Facebook claiming that he had seen hints of fixing during the tournament. Following these two incidents, Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane ordered Nepal Police to investigate the case.
Following this, the CIB formed a six-member investigation committee under the leadership of DSP Sundar Tiwari.
