Ashfaq Ali Thara, the owner of a Karnataka Premier League team Belagavi Panthers, was arrested in Bengaluru on Tuesday in connection with an alleged international cricket betting scandal, police said.
Thara was arrested on Monday by the Central Crime Branch and booked for gambling under the Karnataka Police Act.
Police said they had sufficient evidence to suggest that Thara had placed bets on matches with a Dubai based bookie.
“Regarding match fixing, it is still under enquiry. Ali was in touch with players of other teams during KPL,” Bengaluru joint commissioner of police Sandeep Patil said in a statement.
Players of other teams have also been summoned for questioning, he said.
The KPL was the first T20 league to be launched by a state association in India. It is organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association. During the right season of the tournament which ended recently, the Panthers, who have the likes of Manish Pandey in their ranks, lost in Qualifier 2.
This is the second setback for T20 leagues in India. Earlier this year, a probe was launched into alleged match fixing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
[With PTI inputs]
