The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zulqarnain-Haider-c98685 Saga at an end after Police arrest bookie gang
Local authorities in Pakistan earlier identified and arrested the members of the bookie ring who were responsible for making the threatening phone calls to former Pakistani wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider, in the latest twist in the long running saga.
The news broke when Senior Investigating Officer http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nasir-c78728 Qureshi of the Pakistan Police made an announcement during a press conference revealing that a total of eight bookmakers were behind the threatening phone calls that had been aimed at the wicket-keeper
and his family.
Qureshi stated, "We arrested eight bookmakers yesterday and some of them have confessed they had the threatening calls made to Zulqarnain."
It was later revealed that the bookies had been arrested in the Sambrial region in Eastern http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Punjab-c833. A few having already confessed to their actions since being taken into custody and were found with over 250 mobile phones and landline phone sets as well as
records, ammunition and computers.
The discovery led to Mr. Qureshi claiming that the gang seemed have links to the international cricket gambling syndicate, and one would have to agree that this may just be the tip of the iceberg.
Meanwhile http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zulqarnain-c98682 himself is in the capital city of Islamabad where he is waiting for security clearance from officials before the former wicket-keeper can be allowed to return to Lahore, where he faces a hearing from the Pakistan Cricket Board over his
disappearance during Pakistan’s series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757.
The news followed assurances that had been given by Interior Minister Rehman Malik over the under threat wicket-keeper and his family’s security if Haider decided to return to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755.
The arrests are an encouraging sign for Pakistan cricket after the recent controversies that had embroiled the nation’s most watched sport and brought it into disrepute.
Haider himself declared that he will work with authorities to help root out the match fixing incidents that have plagued the game. However, it seems that the Pakistan Police are more than capable of accomplishing the task on their own, when set to it.
Zulqarnain had flown to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c749 seeking asylum after threatening phone calls began over his refusal to get involved in math fixing. Yet the player was convinced to return home just two weeks ago, amidst more controversy.
While the saga seems to have come to an end, one gets the feeling that it is a matter of ‘when’ rather ‘if’ match fixing will be making headlines in the cricketing world again.
Haider is yet to sit down with the authorities as he said he would and that means that there is still potentially a plethora of inside information as to the happenings and methods practiced by the match fixing ring.
The Pakistani wicket-keeper also mentioned that there are many players presently involved in behind the scenes exchanges of performances for incentives and that they will be reluctant to come out and share any information.
The last major worry is that the material confiscated showed that there was more to the gang as the police had reason to believe and that they were just a small part of a much larger organisation, as the ‘big fish’ were still at large.
So it seems a hollow victory in the fight to rid the game of the plague that is match fixing, yet it is a step in the right direction and should be acknowledged by all who love the game as one.
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