MUMBAI: Former first-class cricketer Robin Morris, who has represented Mumbai and Odisha in Ranji Trophy, has been arrested by Versova police for cricket betting. Morris and two others were found taking bets on IPL matches. Canada-born Indian Morris, 44, played 42 first class games and 51 List A Games (domestic one-dayers) for Mumbai and Odisha between 1995 and 2007.
Police said they had received specific information about betting activity at Morris’s house at Yari Road in Versova. A raid was carried out and three people, including Morris, were detained. “Morris was involved in taking bets on an IPL match,” said an officer, adding laptops and cellphones were seized from the flat. The trio was booked under provisions of the IPC and Gambling Act. A magistrate court sent them to police custody till Monday.
Last year, he was named by Al Jazeera TV following an alleged sting operation on match-fixing in cricket.
Former Pakistan batsman Hasan Raza was filmed on camera by the channel sitting next to Morris as the former Mumbai and Odisha all-rounder spoke to an undercover reporter about facilitating spot-fixing in T20 tournaments.
The cricketer denied any involvement and stressed that it was Al Jazeera who had invited him "to audition for, and act in, a film. He also played for Mumbai champs in the rebel Indian Cricket League but took amnesty when BCCI offered it to all participants in the league. He played his last first class game in 2004 for Mumbai against a Rest of India team in the Irani Cup.
Morris had landed in trouble last year as well. On December 1, 2019, he and four others were arrested for kidnapping a loan agent from Kurla and taking him to Versova to recover Rs 2 lakh.
Police said Morris had applied for a personal loan with a private agency and paid a heavy processing fee. The loan application was made through the agent, Shyam Talreja. When the loan was denied, Morris allegedly started pursuing Talreja for the processing fee.