IPL betting and spot-fixing: Salesman was tricked into giving his phone to bookie Sanjay

A 36-year-old salesman of a Bangalore jewellery shop was shocked when a Mumbai police team went to his shop and told him that his mobile phone has been used for betting. The phone was used by none other than Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf.

The shop is owned by a relative of Sanjay Jaipur, the brother of Pawan who is also accused in the betting case. The salesman told the police that Sanjay requested him to give his SIM card and phone for a few days for some work.

Sunilkumar Narayanan told the police that he has been working as a salesman for 16 years at Gems Shop. Narayanan met Sanjay at the marriage of his employer’s daughter in Jaipur in 2012. In April 2013, Sanjay phoned him and said: “Mera ek dost tumhare paas aayega, usko ek mobile phone dedo.” (A friend of mine will come to you, give him a mobile phone).” A few days later, a man took the mobile phone from him.

His number came under the police scanner as it was used for betting. A police team went to Bangalore on June 24 to record Narayanan’s statement. “When we told him that the phone number was used for betting by Rauf, he was stunned. Narayanan claimed that he was unaware that his phone was being misused,” said a crime branch officer.