The Bangladesh Cricket Board cast a blind eye on the multiple arrests of suspected Indian bookie Atanu Dutta despite his presence in the landscape of country’s cricket for quite some time now. Bangladesh police on April 14 had arrested Atanu, suspected of being involved in betting during the ICC World Twenty20, for the third time in less than a month. Atanu was reportedly arrested twice on March 21 and April 6 during the ICC World Twent20 by different security agencies.
The police filed a case against him under the ICC act, but a chief metropolitan magistrate court granted him bail on April 7. He was arrested him after the media linked him with an ICC anti-corruption security official.
‘We cannot comment on this issue as it is matter of the ICC,’ Nizamuddin Chowdhury, acting chief executive officer of the BCB, told reporters while giving his reaction earlier last week.
Cricket insiders said that Dutta was not a complete stranger in the cricketing circle and was regarded as a suspicious character for a long time.
He was seen to be accompanying the Tigers during their tour abroad in the guise of businessman.
Atanu introduced him as the sales person of Taj Trading, a Kolkata-based firm engaged in home appliance business, while on other occasions he introduced himself as a land and property businessman.
His interest in following the Tigers was spotted during the tour of Zimbabwe in 2011 and the relevant tour official brought it to BCB’s notice in due course.
Tanzeeb Ahsan, the manager of the national team during that tour, said that the national team took notice of him and immediately reported about their observation to the International Cricket Council.
Shafiqur Rahman, former director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and head of delegation on that tour, is said to have conveyed the message to the ICC.
‘Munna bhai [Shafiqur Rahman] told me that he had reported about this suspicious character to the ICC and received a very casual response as the authorities said that unless there is any specific charge they won’t be able to do anything,’ said Tanzeeb.
He could not remain away from the media eyes and his desire to know the fate of the toss often made him a laughing stock as that hardly mattered apart from them.
‘His interest in knowing the outcome of the toss, his staying at the team hotel and being close to the team members during their morning breakfast and everything else he did, putting together only mean he is a bookie to some extent,’ said Syeduzzaman, special correspondent of Kaler Kontho, who travelled with the team during that tour.
Atanu was reportedly present in the series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in 2013 and was seen carrying out his business in the home series against New Zealand last year.
Atanu was seen playing an active role for the betting syndicate during the last edition of Bangladesh Premier League and was even nabbed only to be released later.
Mezbahuddin Serniabat, BCB’s security chief at that time, said that he had to be released because of lack of evidence. ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit official Dharamveer Singh also interfered in the matter.
‘We could not take action against him during the BPL as Dharamveer Singh claimed him to be a source,’ Serniabat told New Age.
Dharamveer also helped him during the just-concluded ICC World Twenty20 after he was caught by the security officials during the India-Pakistan match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on April 21.
As the BCB remained silent, Atanu developed a strong network in the BCB as well and that is reflected when it was learnt that he had connection with some low-level working group.
During the home series against New Zealand he was seen coming near to the Press Box in a one-dayer at the Fatullah stadium despite that being a restricted area.
A witness said Atanu remained active with his mobile phone all the time during the course of a game and used to relay the information to the betting syndicate in India and the United Arab Emirates.
In a match televised live usually it takes 30 seconds after the ball is bowled to come onto the TV screen and Atanu took the opportunity to help the syndicate for betting.
-With New Age input
