Investigations into the alleged ‘IPL Talent Hunt’ racket, busted earlier this year by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, have revealed that the main accused in the case was in touch with Priyank Saxena, an infamous bookie who had allegedly offered to fix matches in international cricket tournaments.
On December 1 this year, the Property Cell of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch had arrested Vijay Barhate, Jeevan Mukadam and Dinesh More for allegedly cheating 11 Mumbai based budding cricketers by posing as talent hunt partners for Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad. The police said that the trio have cheated the cricketers out of at least ₹68.06 lakh by promising to get them spots on the IPL team as well as in Ranji Trophy matches.
According to Crime Branch sources, Barhate was in regular touch with Saxena who, along with his partner Sobers Joban, was exposed by The Sun, a British newspaper, while offering to fix matches in the Ashes tournament.
