Young cricketers cheated with Ranji promises, two held

New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) Two cricket coaches, including one with a private academy here, were arrested on Thursday for cheating young players of large sums of money on the pretext of getting them placed in the Ranji Trophy and other tournaments, police said.

"The accused - Ravi Dalal, a coach of Friends Academy in Pitampura and his accomplice, Haris Jamal, a part-time coach with a Delhi school - were arrested after they confessed to their crime," Additional Commissioner of Police Rajiv Ranjan said.

Police acted on a complaint filed by Anshuman Upadhay, the Integrity Manager of the BCCI, with the Crime Branch in March, the officer said.

In his complaint, Upadhay said that some unscrupulous persons are cheating young cricketers on pretext of getting them to play the Ranji Trophy and other tournaments.

"Complaints of victims Kanishka Gaur and Shivam were annexed with the letter from the BCCI. Rs 11 lakh was taken from Gaur for giving him a chance as a guest player but he was given opportunity only for two matches in the under-19 years category from another state as a local player by preparing a forged birth certificate and other fake documents," the ACP said.

"During investigation it was found that Rs 4 lakh was taken from Shivam for giving him opportunity in the under-23 years category but he was was not given any chance by the accused," he added.

During investigation, it was found that Dalal took the money from Gaur and later gave it to Jamal, the ACP said. "Both are being interrogated to know their previous crime history."