'Rotate your watch, put on your towel': Spot fixing codes used in fixing the match

safia@coastaldigest.com (News Network)
May 16, 2013

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New Delhi, May 16: On May 9, at a match between the Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals played at Mohali near Chandigarh, pacer S Sreesanth ran up to bowl an over with a towel tucked into the band of his trouser.

The Delhi Police allege that this was a signal to bookies that he would now fix an over. He had bowled the previous over without the towel.

The deal, the Delhi Police allege, was that Sreesanth would tuck the towel to indicate spot-fixing and then would give the bookies some time to place as many bets as possible. On field, Sreesanth had warmed up a bit before beginning to bowl the over. He gave away more than 14 runs as fixed.

The Kerala cricketer, who has played for India, was arrested today and charged with spot-fixing. Betting is illegal in India.

The police claim that over months of investigations they have gathered information on spot-fixing, primarily by intercepting phone conversations. The bookies and players, they say, have codes to indicate which over will be fixed.

Like the alleged towel code. Or the one that the police claim Ajit Chandela, another Royals player arrested today, forgot.

On May 5, when Royals played the Pune Warriors at home in Jaipur, the police alleged that Chandela was paid an advance of Rs. 20 lakh by bookies to fix an over. They have quoted from the phone transcript of an alleged conversation where Chandela said he would pull out his two T-shirts to indicate he was beginning a fixed over.

He duly bowled the over giving away 14 runs, the police alleged, but forgot to pull out his shirts. The police claim that there was an argument on the phone after a match, in which the bookie demanded his money back.

Ankeet Chavan, the third Royal player arrested today, was paid Rs. 60 lakh to give away 13 runs in six-over match, the police alleged.

Delhi Police Chief Neeraj Kumar said today that no players from other teams were involved.

A press conference today, the police played video clips from the matches to bolster their allegations.

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New Delhi, May 16: Neeraj Kumar, the Delhi police chief and his colleagues are holding a press conference to explain the modus-operandi used by the three IPL players involved in spot fixing.

Earlier today, three Rajasthan Royal players including Kerala pacer Sreesanth were arrested for spot-fixing in the current IPL season.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Arrested 3 Rajasthan Royals players and 11 bookies and their assistants in a scam of spot fixing.
  • Modus operandi adopted was that there was an agreement between bookies and players that in a certain over they would give away minimum amount of runs.
  • Bookies also gave them directions that they have to indicate that they are ready to give away those many runs.
  • These indications were in different forms.. take out locket from shirt, take out shirts and vests that you're wearing, put towel into trousers etc etc.
  • They had to deliver the over and give away pre-determined number of runs.
  • First instance came to light during Match held in Jaipur between Pune Warriors India and Rajasthan Royals on May 5.
  • Ajit Chandila gave away 14 runs in his second spell.
  • Chandila forgot to give the predecided sign, hence bookies couldn't bet. This led to arguments and demand for return of the money.
  • 20 lakhs were given in advance that was to be given to Chandila.
  • Second match in which spot fixing took place was on May 9, in Mohali. It was between the Rajasthan Royals vs KXIP.
  • Sreesanth would give the signal by putting a towel in his trousers.
  • He gave bookies time to bet by warming up and then went on to give 13 runs.
  • Have records of call where it was decided that Sreesanth would give 14 or more runs in the second over of his spell.
  • He would put a towel in his pants as a signal.
  • Third match where spot fixing was done was the match held last night. Rajasthan Royal vs Mumbai Indians.
  • Ajit Chandila was not playing, he was acting as go between Ankeet Chavan and bookies.
  • Ankeet was asked to give 14 or more runs in the second over of his spell and promised Rs. 60 lakh for that.
  • After Ankeet Chavan's over there was a conversation between Ajit Chandila and the bookie. It was decided whatever was to be given to Ankeet Chavan would go through Chandila.
  • We had teams at the venues as players could give signals during ad breaks as well.
  • Sreesanth was arrested from Carter Road in Mumbai.
  • Ajit Chandila was arrested from the Inter-Continental hotel in Mumbai.
  • Ankeet Chavan arrested from Hotel Trident.
  • 2 bookies arrested from Inter-Continental.
  • We had information that Mumbai underworld is contacting bookies and players for fixing.
  • No evidence of the involvement of Australian player Shaun Tait.
  • We don't know who started the whole thing but from experience I can say that bookies spot talented and vulnerable people who will compromise.
  • It is a coincidence that players of the same team have come under our radar, but we cannot say that it is not happening in other teams.
  • We were the ones who informed the IPL administration about the fixing. We did not get any info from the IPL or the BCCI.
  • Our probe will show whether we need to contact Enforcement Directorate (ED) or other agencies.
  • We have been tracking this case since April and since then only these three players came under our radar.
  • Further arrests likely to be only bookies. No more cricketers.
  • Mastermind of this is sitting abroad.
  • Batsmen of opponent teams ruled out as no evidence found against them.

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News Network
April 14,2025

Tumakuru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara announced on Sunday that the much-anticipated caste census report will be formally discussed at a special meeting of the state Cabinet scheduled for April 17. The meeting will focus on the findings and recommendations of the report, which has recently been circulated among ministers.

Speaking at Tiptur in Tumakuru district, Parameshwara noted that the caste census was conducted to ensure equitable access to essential services, education, and employment for downtrodden communities.

“The Congress government, between 2013 and 2018, spent crores of rupees to gather caste-based data from 1.37 crore families,” he said. “However, implementation was delayed by successive governments for various reasons.”

He emphasized the need for careful and informed deliberation and urged political leaders to avoid commenting on the report without studying it. “Nearly 80 per cent of the information in the report is accurate,” the Home Minister said, reinforcing the document’s credibility.

The Cabinet’s decision following the April 17 meeting could have far-reaching implications on Karnataka’s reservation policy and social equity framework.

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News Network
April 8,2025

madhubangarappa.jpg

Bengaluru: The results of the PUC 2 examination one were announced today with an over all pass percentage of 69.16 as against the 81.15% in the 2024 exam 1.

Due to several examination reforms, including installation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled CCTV cameras in the examination hall to check malpractices and webcasting of the entire process, the results seem to have dipped by 11.99% compared to the previous year.

The results will be available online after 1:30pm. Candidates can visit http://karresults.nic.in to check their results.

Amoolya M Kamath from Expert PU college Dakshina Kannada, Deeksha R from Vagdevi PU College Shivamogga have topped the state in science stream by scoring 599 for 600.

In Commerce Deepashree S from Canara PU College Dakshina Kannada emerged as topper with 599 out of 600 and in Arts LR Sanjana Bai of Indu Independent PU college Kottur in Ballari bagged the first place by scoring 597.

Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa released the results and said, "students those who have failed or those who wish to improve their marls can take exam 2 and 3. We will not be charging any fee for exam 2 and 3."

"I will not say students are failed. As the exam process will complete only after 3rd exam, we have hopes to improve the results by 3-4%," he mentioned.

"We have opportunity to improve the results. We have conducted the exams with complete vigil by preventing all the malpractices by monitoring through webcasting," said the minister.

For exams 1 total of 6,37,805 were appeared of which 468439 managed to clear the exams.

This time department has not given any grace marks, except the one which awards to push those who were in border line. "There were over 8297 students in the borderline and pushed with the grace as per scheme of evaluation," the minister added.

Udupi Leads Again

The coastal district of Udupi has emerged as the top performer once again, recording a remarkable 93.90% pass rate, as per a report on One India. Dakshina Kannada followed closely with 93.57%, while Bangalore South stood third at 85.36%. At the bottom of the list, Yadgir reported the lowest pass percentage with 48.45%.

Here are the top 10 performing districts:

Udupi – 93.90%
Dakshina Kannada – 93.57%
Bangalore South – 85.36%
Kodagu – 83.84%
Bangalore North – 83.31%
Uttara Kannada – 82.93%
Shimoga – 79.91%
Bangalore Rural – 79.70%
Chikmagalur – 79.56%
Haveri – 76.56%

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News Network
April 15,2025

dammam.jpg

Jeddah/Dammam, April 15: In a significant legal move, Saudi-based law firm International Justice has served a formal legal notice to Air India Express on behalf of passengers affected by the inordinate delay of Flight IX-886. The flight, originally scheduled to depart from Dammam to Mangaluru on 25 March 2025 at 22:10 hrs, was delayed by over 24 hours—causing severe inconvenience and hardship to passengers, many of whom included senior citizens, children, and individuals with medical conditions.

The legal notice, issued by noted Saudi lawyer and partner at International Justice Law Firm, Adv. Ms. Faten Faiz AlAhmari, outlines the distress and suffering endured by the stranded passengers due to the prolonged delay and lack of adequate assistance from the airline.

The initiative for legal escalation was spearheaded by P.A. Hameed Padubidri, a well-known Indian lawyer and social worker based in Saudi Arabia, who closely monitored the ordeal. Upon receiving numerous complaints and witnessing the passengers’ plight firsthand, he collaborated with Adv. Faten Faiz AlAhmari to ensure the matter was formally addressed through appropriate legal channels.

The legal notice outlines several key grievances:
    •    Unexplained delay and extended detention inside the aircraft
    •    Absence of proper accommodation or official communication
    •    Prolonged waiting hours at the airport without basic support or updates

The notice demands the following actions from Air India Express:
    1.    A formal written apology to all affected passengers
    2.    Full compensation for the physical, mental, and financial distress caused
    3.    A detailed explanation regarding the cause of the delay and preventive measures
    4.    Assurance of strict adherence to passenger rights in future operations

The airline has been given 15 days from the receipt of the notice to respond and take corrective action. Failing this, legal proceedings will be initiated in competent courts in both Saudi Arabia and India, with all financial liabilities resting on Air India Express.

This legal action comes amid rising public dissatisfaction over the handling of flight delays by international carriers, particularly those serving the Gulf-India sector.

Hameed Padubidri remarked: “We expected improved efficiency and passenger care from Air India Express after its acquisition by the Tata Group. However, the continued lapses and negligence—especially on Gulf routes—have deeply frustrated the Indian expatriate community. If the airline fails to respond, we will pursue the matter vigorously in both Saudi and Indian courts to ensure justice for the affected passengers.”

The case is now being closely watched by legal experts and passenger rights advocates, highlighting the pressing need for accountability, transparency, and humane treatment during travel disruptions.

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