New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday issued 'open' non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against three close aides of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal after the police said they had played a key role in the entire conspiracy.
Special Cell of Delhi Police moved an application in the court seeking issuance of open NBWs against Pakistan-based Dr Javed Chutani, Salman alias Master and Ehteysham, who all are considered to be close associates of Dawood, saying they are based in Karachi and Lahore and were instrumental in the conspiracy behind spot fixing during the IPL matches.
"The crux of the argument is that it is not possible to execute warrants to these accused in Pakistan...In view of the above, issue open NBWs against three accused as requested," Additional Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma said. An NBW is termed as 'open' when no time limit is fixed for its execution.
The police also moved a separate plea in the court, seeking issuance of NBWs against four alleged bookies - Sanjay Aggarwal, Mohd Shakeel Amir, Praveen Kumar G Thakkar and Sandeep Sharma, saying that during interrogation of other arrested accused, their names had cropped up but they are absconding to evade arrest. The court allowed the plea, saying, "Let NBWs be issued against these four accused persons as requested, returnable by September 30, 2013."
The police had on July 30 filed its chargesheet in the case, alleging that Dawood and Chhota Shakeel, who have been "controlling the fixing and betting market" in cricket in India, were behind the IPL spot-fixing scandal. The police, which named 39 persons as accused including Rajasthan Royals's S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, has said the syndicate run by Dawood and his aide had been actively operating from safe havens, with the singular objective of destabilising Indian security, sovereignty and economic stability.
The chargesheet has said that Chutani, a Pakistani national, was an "inner member" of the Dawood syndicate, running his various activities out of Dubai and the intercepted calls clearly establish that he is a clear player in this fixing syndicate. Apart from the three cricketers, the other 36 accused named in the charge sheet includes alleged bookies Ashwani Agarwal, Ramesh Vyas, Deepak Kumar, Sunil Bhatia and Firoz Farid Ansari and ex-Ranji player Baburao Yadav.
As per the chargesheet, besides Dawood and Chhota Shakeel, 10 persons who are absconding, are their associates Chutani, Salman, Ehteysham, Mohd Amir and bookies Sanjay Aggarwal, Chandresh Jain, Praveen Kumar and Sandeep Sharma, according to the chargesheet. It has said that the probe in this case has unearthed "sufficient evidence" to prosecute the accused for offences punishable under section 120 B (conspiracy) read with 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) of IPC and under the provisions of the stringent MCOCA.
The Delhi Police had on May 16 arrested Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan on the charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust. The court had on June 10 granted bail to Sreesanth, Chavan and 19 others for lack of evidence against them to be charged under MCOCA.
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