Desk Report,
Hyderabad Cricket chief arrested in IPL ticket scam, fraud allegations
Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president A Jagan Mohan Rao, treasurer C J Srinivas and CEO Sunil Kante have been arrested by the Telangana Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on charges of fraud and misappropriation of funds.
Hyderabad Cricket chief arrested in IPL ticket scam, fraud allegations
Two members of a local cricket club in Hyderabad, Rajender Yadav and his wife Kavita, have also been taken into custody by the police. They will be questioned to ascertain whether the two are involved in the case in which the HCA president is involved.
The Telangana CID had filed an FIR (First Information Report) against three HCA officials last month. They have been charged with fraud, cheating, using forged documents, misappropriation of property and breach of trust.
The FIR was filed on June 9 on the basis of a complaint filed by Telangana Cricket Association general secretary D Guruva Reddy. Reddy alleged that Jagan Mohan Rao participated in the 2023 HCA elections using fake documents. Reddy also alleged that he, along with the others, had diverted Rs 2.32 crore from the association’s funds.
A CID source told the Indian Express that the investigation has revealed that Jagan Mohan fraudulently obtained membership of a cricket club to qualify for the HCA elections. One of the conditions for participating in the HCA elections is that one must have membership of a club approved by this association. The CID source also said that the arrested persons will also be questioned in connection with the controversy surrounding the HCA regarding the distribution of free or gift tickets in the IPL this year.
Earlier, T B Srinath, manager of IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, had sent an email to HCA treasurer Srinivas in this regard. In that email, he alleged that HCA staff closed the corporate box at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium during the match between Lucknow Supergiants and Sunrisers on March 27. Srinath mentioned in the email that HCA staff refused to open the corporate box unless they were given “20 additional free tickets.”
