Indian national arrested in city
Police yesterday arrested an Indian citizen from the capital's Mirpur on charges of his alleged involvement in betting on international and domestic cricket matches.
The arrestee was identified as Atanu Datta, of Regent Park, Kolkata, West Bengal.
He was picked up around 1:45 pm, Imtiaz Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Mirpur division), told The Daily Star.
Atanu arrived in Bangladesh on March 15 and was staying back though his visa expired on March 31, according to his passport.
Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of DMP Media Wing, said police picked him up following information based on his alleged involvement in illegal activities in Bangladesh.
Sub-Inspector Enamul Haq of Mirpur Police Station filed a case against him with the police station under Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Meanwhile, Rab Media Wing Director Habibur Rahman said law enforcers on April 6 picked up Atanu from Gabtali as he was trying to escape from Bangladesh during the ongoing World T20.
Rab later handed him over to police.
The Rab official added that Atanu had admitted to them that he was involved in betting on cricket matches outside Bangladesh but he had come here as a spectator.
He was reportedly detained by members of the law enforcing agencies on March 21 as well.
Asked about the arrest of Atanu and his probable involvement in match-fixing, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, acting chief executive officer of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), said it was a matter of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The BCB had no part in it.
"The World T20 was an ICC event and Bangladesh was just the host nation. We don't know anything about his arrest," he said.
Chowdhury further stated that the BCB was yet to communicate with the ICC regarding the details of a report published in the Bangla daily Prothom Alo.
According to the report, law enforcers spotted the Indian while he was talking over the phone suspiciously during the India-Pakistan cricket match on March 21.
It also said the law enforcers later let Atanu go after Dharambir Singh, who works with the ICC's Anti-corruption and Security Unit, had requested them to do so.
Dharambir claimed that Atanu was working as their source to collect information on match fixing.
Rab, however, kept an eye on him for leads to any betting activities or match fixing move, which resulted in tracking a phone call conversation.
The conversation revealed that Atanu had informed Dharambir he was under surveillance.
Dharambir then advised him to leave Bangladesh since "it would be difficult to save him [Atanu] a second time".
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