1 00:00:11,305 --> 00:00:13,825 [man on tape, in Hindi] Gambling is a part of life. 2 00:00:15,425 --> 00:00:18,305 If not cricket, people would bet on something else. 3 00:00:21,305 --> 00:00:24,465 Our business thrives only by being illegal. 4 00:00:25,585 --> 00:00:28,065 If it's all cash, then it has to be black money. 5 00:00:29,545 --> 00:00:31,945 We are villains, we are not heroes. 6 00:00:38,345 --> 00:00:41,145 [Aniruddha Bahal, in English] I'm passionate about cricket 7 00:00:41,225 --> 00:00:42,065 like any Indian. 8 00:00:43,385 --> 00:00:45,305 The game is a beautiful game. 9 00:00:45,385 --> 00:00:46,585 Poetry in motion. 10 00:00:53,785 --> 00:00:55,625 So, when I started sports reporting, 11 00:00:55,705 --> 00:00:58,825 I never imagined that I would be breaking the lid off anything. 12 00:01:01,065 --> 00:01:04,025 [commentator 1] And India's captain has reached his half-century. 13 00:01:04,105 --> 00:01:06,105 [commentator 2] That is out. 14 00:01:06,185 --> 00:01:09,745 [Bahal] For the millions of fans, these players were put on pedestals. 15 00:01:11,305 --> 00:01:12,465 They were gods. 16 00:01:12,545 --> 00:01:14,745 [phones ringing] 17 00:01:14,825 --> 00:01:16,745 But human beings are, uh, fallible. 18 00:01:18,865 --> 00:01:20,625 And when I started digging, 19 00:01:21,625 --> 00:01:24,225 I found that, in truth, 20 00:01:24,785 --> 00:01:26,465 it was a very different game 21 00:01:27,625 --> 00:01:28,745 and a very ugly game. 22 00:01:37,345 --> 00:01:40,065 [reporter 1] The cricketing community has been stunned. 23 00:01:40,145 --> 00:01:41,825 [reporters clamoring] 24 00:01:41,905 --> 00:01:44,825 You just get really angry. You just get so pissed off. 25 00:01:49,025 --> 00:01:50,665 [reporter 2] Absolutely explosive. 26 00:01:50,745 --> 00:01:52,865 What will happen next is impossible to say. 27 00:01:53,705 --> 00:01:56,105 [Ravi Sawani] The kind of allegations being made, 28 00:01:56,185 --> 00:01:57,945 they were absolutely unbelievable. 29 00:02:06,025 --> 00:02:09,945 [Minty Tejpal] We came up with this plan to target and trap the cricketers 30 00:02:10,025 --> 00:02:13,025 using spy cam equipment, and get the truth out. 31 00:02:21,105 --> 00:02:23,625 [people shouting] 32 00:02:23,705 --> 00:02:24,545 Treachery. 33 00:02:24,625 --> 00:02:26,105 Like you've been stabbed in the back. 34 00:02:32,225 --> 00:02:33,985 [reporter 3] Now, serious concerns. 35 00:02:34,065 --> 00:02:35,465 Can cricket survive? 36 00:02:50,905 --> 00:02:53,345 [commentator 1] Lovely shot. Glorious shot! 37 00:02:54,985 --> 00:02:58,385 [Sharda Ugra] The '90s was the era of superstardom in Indian cricket. 38 00:03:00,105 --> 00:03:02,465 [commentator 2] And he's picked that up very cleanly. 39 00:03:02,545 --> 00:03:06,505 They became as famous and important as film stars. 40 00:03:07,585 --> 00:03:10,985 [commentator 2] What a wonderful catch! That's a brilliant catch! 41 00:03:11,065 --> 00:03:15,465 The unpredictability, the beauty of it, the suspense unraveling… 42 00:03:15,545 --> 00:03:16,665 Anything could happen. 43 00:03:16,745 --> 00:03:18,625 [commentator 2] Trouble! Big trouble. 44 00:03:19,625 --> 00:03:22,225 [Karri] It didn't matter who you are, where you came from, 45 00:03:22,305 --> 00:03:24,185 you can be the hero of the whole country. 46 00:03:26,585 --> 00:03:28,785 [Ugra] We wanted to follow our stars. 47 00:03:28,865 --> 00:03:30,265 [all chanting] India! India! 48 00:03:30,345 --> 00:03:33,865 We saw almost a utopian version of what cricket is. 49 00:03:39,145 --> 00:03:42,105 But when it came to issues around gambling, I was completely naïve. 50 00:03:44,705 --> 00:03:46,385 Betting is illegal in India. 51 00:03:47,945 --> 00:03:50,945 So when we started hearing about bookies, 52 00:03:51,025 --> 00:03:53,105 we knew it wasn't good stuff, 53 00:03:53,185 --> 00:03:56,345 but we were just rookie reporters. We didn't know what was going on. 54 00:03:59,025 --> 00:04:01,505 We needed someone to just unravel everything. 55 00:04:13,665 --> 00:04:17,105 [Bahal] Nobody sees the world as an investigative reporter. 56 00:04:17,185 --> 00:04:19,825 See, initially, I never used to cover sports. 57 00:04:19,905 --> 00:04:23,944 Then, uh, one of our journalists in Outlook, I think, he fell sick. 58 00:04:25,184 --> 00:04:27,705 And so, I became a sports reporter by accident. 59 00:04:28,705 --> 00:04:30,225 So I was always an outsider. 60 00:04:31,025 --> 00:04:32,785 I had few individual friends, 61 00:04:32,865 --> 00:04:35,465 but I was never part of that club, so to speak. 62 00:04:36,225 --> 00:04:37,505 They never broke stories. 63 00:04:37,585 --> 00:04:40,025 They never pointed the finger at negative stuff. 64 00:04:41,265 --> 00:04:43,785 And I felt that they owed their audience much more. 65 00:04:49,385 --> 00:04:51,665 [crowd cheering] 66 00:04:54,185 --> 00:04:56,665 I remember '97… 67 00:04:57,825 --> 00:04:59,145 I was sitting in the press box, 68 00:04:59,225 --> 00:05:03,625 and I noticed there was a whole sort of atmosphere of tension. 69 00:05:03,705 --> 00:05:05,705 [phone ringing] 70 00:05:05,785 --> 00:05:07,145 What was strange 71 00:05:07,225 --> 00:05:10,185 was some of the journalists would, uh, start getting calls. 72 00:05:12,745 --> 00:05:15,505 They were talking about what would happen in the match, 73 00:05:16,345 --> 00:05:18,665 who is being dropped, who is not being dropped, 74 00:05:18,745 --> 00:05:20,505 how is the pitch going to behave. 75 00:05:21,385 --> 00:05:22,985 He was giving them odds. 76 00:05:24,425 --> 00:05:29,105 And then I realized that, "Oh, man! The calls were from bookies." 77 00:05:29,945 --> 00:05:33,225 [phones ringing] 78 00:05:33,305 --> 00:05:36,185 You're not supposed to be talking to bookies from the press box. 79 00:05:36,265 --> 00:05:37,385 That's an ethical concern. 80 00:05:40,305 --> 00:05:42,225 I felt a sense of outrage about it. 81 00:05:44,905 --> 00:05:47,505 That set me thinking. "What the hell is happening?" 82 00:05:50,665 --> 00:05:53,985 How deep does it go? How big is the money? 83 00:05:58,665 --> 00:06:00,665 So, I then started digging, so to speak. 84 00:06:02,265 --> 00:06:04,425 And I managed to find some bookies. 85 00:06:06,865 --> 00:06:10,025 They wouldn't allow me to film them or take photographs. 86 00:06:10,105 --> 00:06:12,385 In fact, they didn't even tell us their names. 87 00:06:13,785 --> 00:06:16,425 But eventually, some of them were willing to talk. 88 00:06:25,265 --> 00:06:27,985 [bookie, in Hindi] Every bookie starts out as a punter. 89 00:06:31,985 --> 00:06:34,105 In college, I had many vices, but no money. 90 00:06:34,185 --> 00:06:36,865 Gambling was the quick fix. 91 00:06:38,905 --> 00:06:42,305 When I got addicted to money, I started making others play. 92 00:06:47,465 --> 00:06:49,545 [phone ringing] 93 00:06:49,625 --> 00:06:54,825 To kickstart the work, we need a whole team. 94 00:06:54,905 --> 00:06:58,305 Many people call this a bookie den. 95 00:06:59,625 --> 00:07:00,865 We call it a shop. 96 00:07:02,025 --> 00:07:04,025 [phones ringing] 97 00:07:05,425 --> 00:07:09,225 [in English] It used to be a madhouse. And the phones used to be all abuzz. 98 00:07:09,785 --> 00:07:13,545 Wickets falling, runs being made, the odds would keep changing. 99 00:07:15,905 --> 00:07:18,185 So, back then, it all used to run on trust. 100 00:07:18,265 --> 00:07:21,665 They have to know who you are for them to accept your bets. 101 00:07:22,865 --> 00:07:24,825 [bookie, in Hindi] Everyone is betting. 102 00:07:24,905 --> 00:07:28,625 Maybe a shopkeeper, maybe a bank manager, 103 00:07:28,705 --> 00:07:31,345 even college students, especially girls. 104 00:07:33,025 --> 00:07:36,305 They think, "Yes, I can win this." 105 00:07:37,065 --> 00:07:39,665 It is a craze. Everybody wants to become rich. 106 00:07:40,625 --> 00:07:44,345 [in English] It was alarming. I remember some of them used to record those calls, 107 00:07:44,425 --> 00:07:47,185 so the punters couldn't go back on what they had bet on. 108 00:07:48,665 --> 00:07:52,105 [bookie, in Hindi] If you try to swindle us, you'll be in danger. 109 00:07:53,185 --> 00:07:55,385 The one who gambles never wins. 110 00:07:55,465 --> 00:07:57,265 The bookie never loses. 111 00:07:59,305 --> 00:08:01,225 This is the truth. 112 00:08:01,305 --> 00:08:03,825 [phones continue ringing] 113 00:08:06,425 --> 00:08:09,345 [Ugra, in English] There was a great appetite for gambling, 114 00:08:09,425 --> 00:08:11,305 and it was pan-Indian like cricket. 115 00:08:12,825 --> 00:08:14,385 You could bet on anything. 116 00:08:15,745 --> 00:08:18,265 So, what is the team score going to be after ten overs? 117 00:08:20,225 --> 00:08:22,825 How many sixes is a particular batsman going to hit? 118 00:08:23,385 --> 00:08:26,745 Punters even place bets on field placings and bowling changes. 119 00:08:27,545 --> 00:08:31,545 And so, for a bookie to have information gave them a huge advantage. 120 00:08:31,625 --> 00:08:33,665 Information was power at that time. 121 00:08:37,105 --> 00:08:39,505 [Bahal] There were bookmakers giving us stories 122 00:08:39,585 --> 00:08:43,144 about how in a particular match the bets swung very suspiciously. 123 00:08:43,705 --> 00:08:46,945 It would raise suspicions, that somebody has inside information. 124 00:08:47,024 --> 00:08:48,465 What is that inside information? 125 00:08:50,145 --> 00:08:51,545 That set me thinking, 126 00:08:52,985 --> 00:08:55,305 did the bookies have power over the players? 127 00:08:57,665 --> 00:08:59,465 [all] Out! 128 00:08:59,545 --> 00:09:01,785 In the '90s, cable television had come 129 00:09:01,865 --> 00:09:05,225 and it brought Indian cricket into every village in the country. 130 00:09:07,065 --> 00:09:11,705 And so, the greatest dream for any Indian boy of that generation 131 00:09:11,785 --> 00:09:14,185 was to play for India. 132 00:09:20,265 --> 00:09:21,545 There was a sudden hope 133 00:09:21,625 --> 00:09:24,625 that even if you were from a small town, 134 00:09:24,705 --> 00:09:25,945 you could become a hero. 135 00:09:27,905 --> 00:09:30,305 A whole new generation of players had come along. 136 00:09:31,785 --> 00:09:33,905 These kids who are coming from small towns. 137 00:09:34,585 --> 00:09:37,745 So it was all very new to them, and at that time, 138 00:09:37,825 --> 00:09:40,145 there were no gatekeepers for access to cricketers. 139 00:09:42,985 --> 00:09:45,945 Indian cricket at that time was filled with these people 140 00:09:46,025 --> 00:09:48,225 who were seen everywhere around the team. 141 00:09:49,905 --> 00:09:52,665 Strange people are walking into the Indian dressing room 142 00:09:52,745 --> 00:09:54,865 who wanted to shower favors on them. 143 00:09:55,505 --> 00:09:57,185 You know, who are these people? 144 00:09:59,985 --> 00:10:02,825 [Bahal] So I started talking to a lot of ex-players. 145 00:10:04,065 --> 00:10:06,585 But a lot of them didn't want to speak on record. 146 00:10:07,465 --> 00:10:10,505 But I always try and dig some more, try and dig some more. 147 00:10:11,305 --> 00:10:12,625 And finally, I found… 148 00:10:15,225 --> 00:10:16,345 Manoj Prabhakar. 149 00:10:18,865 --> 00:10:23,065 [commentator] Well bowled! That's the inswinger, the late movement in. 150 00:10:24,425 --> 00:10:25,585 [Ugra] Manoj Prabhakar, 151 00:10:25,665 --> 00:10:27,745 he was a seam-bowling all-rounder for India. 152 00:10:28,985 --> 00:10:31,385 Great competitor and a fighting cricketer. 153 00:10:32,585 --> 00:10:35,385 But he was always seen as a journeyman player. 154 00:10:35,465 --> 00:10:37,585 A lot of people called him the poor man's Kapil Dev. 155 00:10:37,665 --> 00:10:39,385 He's not a good athlete. 156 00:10:39,945 --> 00:10:41,225 You know? 157 00:10:41,305 --> 00:10:45,545 He is a poor athlete, and that is a very, very big point. 158 00:10:46,425 --> 00:10:50,385 [Ugra] Prabhakar was always very fiery. He had many chips on his shoulder. 159 00:10:50,465 --> 00:10:54,665 [in Hindi] People are of the opinion that your temper is very unpredictable, 160 00:10:54,745 --> 00:10:57,185 and you have said that using profanity is in my nature? 161 00:10:57,745 --> 00:11:00,225 [in Hindi] When you play with passion, 162 00:11:00,305 --> 00:11:03,225 if you are not fired up, you'll lose everything. 163 00:11:03,305 --> 00:11:06,105 If I don't show aggression on the ground, 164 00:11:06,185 --> 00:11:08,185 a player like me cannot perform. 165 00:11:08,265 --> 00:11:12,225 [in English] I was scared to ask questions because I thought he'll slam the phone. 166 00:11:12,305 --> 00:11:15,505 [in Hindi] No one is supporting you, inside or outside of the team. 167 00:11:15,585 --> 00:11:18,985 What's the reason for that? Were you on good terms with them or not? 168 00:11:19,065 --> 00:11:23,065 No one was allowed to raise their voice. 169 00:11:23,145 --> 00:11:24,985 Fear might be the big reason for it. 170 00:11:25,065 --> 00:11:29,745 Because whoever has spoken up, he's faced problems. 171 00:11:33,665 --> 00:11:36,345 [Bahal, in English] Manoj had just retired in '96 172 00:11:36,425 --> 00:11:38,945 because the World Cup hadn't gone too well for him. 173 00:11:39,025 --> 00:11:41,065 And after that, he'd been dropped. 174 00:11:46,025 --> 00:11:48,425 So, I called and asked him, what did he know? 175 00:11:48,505 --> 00:11:50,225 What would he be willing to share? 176 00:11:50,905 --> 00:11:52,945 Manoj had a very gruff exterior. 177 00:11:53,025 --> 00:11:56,145 He had a very contemptuous dig at journalists. 178 00:11:56,945 --> 00:12:00,585 [in Hindi] You don't dare print the truth. You don't have the guts. 179 00:12:00,665 --> 00:12:03,185 [in English] So there was a lot of that attitude in Manoj. 180 00:12:04,625 --> 00:12:08,865 Manoj took a lot of convincing. I remember meeting him several times. 181 00:12:09,785 --> 00:12:12,705 But finally, he opened a lot, he told me a lot of stories. 182 00:12:13,425 --> 00:12:15,705 Then suddenly told me that an Indian player 183 00:12:15,785 --> 00:12:18,025 had approached him about throwing a match. 184 00:12:20,825 --> 00:12:21,985 It was a revelation. 185 00:12:22,785 --> 00:12:26,265 That was the first time a former Indian cricket player 186 00:12:26,345 --> 00:12:28,465 came on record saying this had happened. 187 00:12:31,825 --> 00:12:34,105 There was no question we would run the story. 188 00:12:35,305 --> 00:12:38,025 It was something we wanted to make a lot of noise with. 189 00:12:40,785 --> 00:12:43,545 So I wrote this in, uh, June of 1997. 190 00:12:44,825 --> 00:12:48,345 "India's Worst Kept Secret" which was the first time that anybody 191 00:12:48,425 --> 00:12:50,945 even knew that there was match-fixing in cricket. 192 00:12:51,745 --> 00:12:56,145 And Manoj's famous allegation really caught a cat on the hot tin roof. 193 00:12:56,225 --> 00:12:59,265 [news intro music plays] 194 00:12:59,825 --> 00:13:02,545 Manoj Prabhakar recently created a sensation 195 00:13:02,625 --> 00:13:06,065 by alleging that he'd been offered a large sum of money to throw, 196 00:13:06,145 --> 00:13:07,945 which means deliberately lose, 197 00:13:08,025 --> 00:13:09,625 an international cricket match. 198 00:13:10,185 --> 00:13:12,385 [Ugra] "I was offered rupees 25 lakh 199 00:13:12,465 --> 00:13:15,465 for sabotaging the match in Pakistan's favor." 200 00:13:15,545 --> 00:13:18,665 "I was told to play below my usual standard." 201 00:13:18,745 --> 00:13:21,105 "I told him to get out of my room." 202 00:13:23,385 --> 00:13:26,145 It was shocking, the scale of money. 203 00:13:26,985 --> 00:13:30,145 And the fact that he'd been asked by a fellow teammate to do it, 204 00:13:30,225 --> 00:13:31,905 that was what was unsettling. 205 00:13:39,345 --> 00:13:42,425 Sport is fundamentally meant to be unscripted. 206 00:13:44,945 --> 00:13:47,825 The unexpectedness of it is what makes it special. 207 00:13:50,225 --> 00:13:51,465 If it's scripted, 208 00:13:51,545 --> 00:13:54,105 it takes away everything that sport stands for. 209 00:13:55,785 --> 00:13:57,305 And so we just got the feeling 210 00:13:57,385 --> 00:14:00,305 something terrible was about to break through in Indian cricket. 211 00:14:04,025 --> 00:14:07,025 But I think a lot of people didn't want to believe it. 212 00:14:09,265 --> 00:14:12,585 [Karri] Cricket was suddenly growing, growing, growing. 213 00:14:13,705 --> 00:14:14,745 Match-fixing. 214 00:14:16,305 --> 00:14:18,465 Suddenly that shadow, match-fixing. 215 00:14:18,545 --> 00:14:20,945 It's like on a sunny day you're playing a match, 216 00:14:21,025 --> 00:14:23,625 suddenly clouds, thunder, rains and the match stops. 217 00:14:24,585 --> 00:14:27,105 Match-fixing allegations cast a doubt. 218 00:14:29,585 --> 00:14:33,705 But I think, by and large, nobody wanted to trust Manoj Prabhakar. 219 00:14:34,945 --> 00:14:36,745 [camera shutters clicking] 220 00:14:36,825 --> 00:14:38,785 [reporter] As Prabhakar refuses to name the player 221 00:14:38,865 --> 00:14:41,145 who he claims approached him to fix the match, 222 00:14:41,225 --> 00:14:44,385 critics have wondered if his allegations bear any substance. 223 00:14:45,945 --> 00:14:49,265 His lawyer maintains that as Prabhakar cannot prove his allegation, 224 00:14:49,345 --> 00:14:51,505 it is up to authorities to investigate. 225 00:15:17,905 --> 00:15:19,825 [Bahal] There was a lot of skepticism. 226 00:15:21,025 --> 00:15:22,785 A lot of aggression towards us. 227 00:15:24,745 --> 00:15:27,265 And the officials who ran the game 228 00:15:27,345 --> 00:15:31,265 had an ostrich-like attitude right from the beginning. 229 00:15:33,225 --> 00:15:35,225 Here is a sport that you love so much. 230 00:15:35,305 --> 00:15:39,025 Here is wrongdoing that you know about. But nobody wanted to do anything. 231 00:15:43,465 --> 00:15:45,545 [Ugra] Many in the cricket establishment 232 00:15:45,625 --> 00:15:48,785 did not want to upset this lovely little world. 233 00:15:49,745 --> 00:15:53,025 "Everything is so comfortable, we are so happy, money is coming." 234 00:15:53,105 --> 00:15:55,625 "This is nonsense. Let it not rock the boat." 235 00:15:57,265 --> 00:16:00,545 That story was looked down on and treated so shabbily. 236 00:16:03,105 --> 00:16:06,745 It suddenly just went into a pool of nothingness. 237 00:16:09,185 --> 00:16:11,505 Manoj Prabhakar was cast into the wilderness. 238 00:16:13,465 --> 00:16:15,625 [Bahal] The cricket board was so unhappy 239 00:16:15,705 --> 00:16:17,865 they went and sued us for five crores. 240 00:16:19,745 --> 00:16:21,545 They wanted to put a lid on it. 241 00:16:23,065 --> 00:16:24,705 [crowd cheering] 242 00:16:24,785 --> 00:16:28,105 Cricket went on, but the story was just dying to come out. 243 00:16:29,625 --> 00:16:31,225 And when it actually happened, 244 00:16:32,025 --> 00:16:37,425 the strange part about it is that it happened by accident. 245 00:16:46,425 --> 00:16:48,625 [line ringing] 246 00:17:01,545 --> 00:17:04,625 In 2000, there was a gentleman who made a complaint 247 00:17:04,705 --> 00:17:07,385 that he had been receiving threatening calls 248 00:17:07,465 --> 00:17:11,145 and, uh, people were trying to extort money from him. 249 00:17:15,625 --> 00:17:17,424 [tape rewinding] 250 00:17:17,505 --> 00:17:20,305 We started to monitor the telephones. 251 00:17:21,785 --> 00:17:24,944 We heard some kind of a dispute going on. 252 00:17:25,025 --> 00:17:26,545 Highly abusive language. 253 00:17:27,625 --> 00:17:29,825 Not because of any extortion, 254 00:17:30,944 --> 00:17:33,224 they are discussing something about cricket. 255 00:17:35,385 --> 00:17:39,225 And then we heard, "Hi, Hansie." 256 00:17:39,305 --> 00:17:40,705 "Hi, Hansie." 257 00:17:41,705 --> 00:17:44,385 Who else could it be except Hansie Cronje? 258 00:17:45,345 --> 00:17:49,225 [commentator] And again. Well, this is magnificent stuff from Cronje. 259 00:17:51,385 --> 00:17:55,425 [Ugra] Hansie Cronje was one of the most admired cricketers in the world. 260 00:17:55,505 --> 00:17:58,545 Picked for South African captaincy very early in his career. 261 00:17:58,625 --> 00:17:59,905 Recording for television? 262 00:18:00,465 --> 00:18:02,105 Can I say hello to my mother? 263 00:18:03,185 --> 00:18:04,625 [Ugra] Everybody loved Hansie. 264 00:18:05,865 --> 00:18:07,745 He had the finest qualities. 265 00:18:08,665 --> 00:18:10,985 He was really a cult figure in his own country. 266 00:18:11,065 --> 00:18:12,945 Absolutely a pillar of the community. 267 00:18:13,825 --> 00:18:18,025 [Cronje speaking on phone] 268 00:18:18,105 --> 00:18:21,025 [KK Paul] Hansie Cronje was speaking to a bookie 269 00:18:21,105 --> 00:18:24,425 discussing in detail who is to score how many runs. 270 00:18:25,265 --> 00:18:28,465 [man speaking on phone] 271 00:18:28,545 --> 00:18:29,385 [Cronje speaking] 272 00:18:29,465 --> 00:18:31,305 How much of money is to be paid? 273 00:18:31,385 --> 00:18:33,825 [man speaking] 274 00:18:33,905 --> 00:18:35,945 [Cronje speaking] 275 00:18:36,505 --> 00:18:38,465 Here, there was solid evidence. 276 00:18:38,545 --> 00:18:41,865 Hansie Cronje was, uh, involved in match-fixing. 277 00:18:45,785 --> 00:18:47,025 [Paul] It emerges 278 00:18:47,105 --> 00:18:50,305 that the one-day international cricket matches 279 00:18:50,385 --> 00:18:54,985 between India and South Africa played recently in India were fixed. 280 00:18:55,705 --> 00:18:58,785 One of the conspirators was identified 281 00:18:59,745 --> 00:19:02,385 as the South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronje. 282 00:19:05,865 --> 00:19:07,305 [Ugra] When the news first came, 283 00:19:07,385 --> 00:19:09,865 your first chance to say, "No, it's not true." 284 00:19:10,825 --> 00:19:13,145 Of all the people in the entire cricket world, 285 00:19:13,225 --> 00:19:15,105 you would not pick on that name. 286 00:19:15,185 --> 00:19:19,865 I've never received any sum of money for any match that I've been involved in. 287 00:19:19,945 --> 00:19:21,825 I've never approached any of the players. 288 00:19:21,905 --> 00:19:24,865 First response from South Africa was absolute denial. 289 00:19:24,945 --> 00:19:26,785 The allegations are outrageous. 290 00:19:26,865 --> 00:19:29,025 It's libelous, it's defamatory. 291 00:19:29,985 --> 00:19:31,545 [Paul] Nobody would believe it. 292 00:19:32,345 --> 00:19:35,825 So, whatever evidence we had, we had to make it public. 293 00:19:38,145 --> 00:19:40,265 And then Hansie Cronje felt the pressure 294 00:19:41,185 --> 00:19:43,585 and ultimately, then he confessed. 295 00:19:44,585 --> 00:19:46,505 [reporter 1] The cricket world has been stunned 296 00:19:46,585 --> 00:19:49,785 after a shocking admission by Hansie Cronje. 297 00:19:49,865 --> 00:19:54,945 [reporter 2] Complete disbelief. Impossible to say what will happen next. 298 00:19:57,145 --> 00:19:59,145 [Bahal] When the Hansie incident broke, 299 00:19:59,225 --> 00:20:02,305 there was a sense of, "Finally nobody could deny it anymore" 300 00:20:02,385 --> 00:20:04,345 that there was match-fixing in cricket. 301 00:20:05,905 --> 00:20:08,305 The news environment became so hot. 302 00:20:10,705 --> 00:20:12,705 Could Indian players be involved? 303 00:20:13,305 --> 00:20:15,345 [Dev] This is have to be clean-up job. 304 00:20:15,425 --> 00:20:19,745 If anybody in the world have done something this bad, 305 00:20:19,825 --> 00:20:21,265 should be hanged. 306 00:20:23,785 --> 00:20:25,985 [Bahal] And I was getting very ambitious 307 00:20:26,065 --> 00:20:28,425 about revisiting the match-fixing story, so to speak. 308 00:20:29,865 --> 00:20:34,185 So I started talking to other reporters and that's when Minty came onboard. 309 00:20:47,305 --> 00:20:50,065 [Tejpal] I'm insanely curious. I've always been so. 310 00:20:50,825 --> 00:20:53,545 I need to know the truth, what I really love. 311 00:20:53,625 --> 00:20:55,225 This was investigative journalism. 312 00:20:55,305 --> 00:20:59,705 Hardcore investigative journalism because you were chasing down a story. 313 00:21:01,705 --> 00:21:06,825 So, in year 2000, Aniruddha Bahal, fabulous writer and journalist and myself, 314 00:21:06,905 --> 00:21:08,745 started this company called Tehelka. 315 00:21:08,825 --> 00:21:12,745 It's an Urdu word which means "sensation, impact, bloody hell, explosion." 316 00:21:15,505 --> 00:21:19,945 And our slug line was "News, Views, All the juice." My line. 317 00:21:22,185 --> 00:21:24,945 [Bahal] We had the ambition for cricket match-fixing 318 00:21:25,025 --> 00:21:27,305 to be the first story that we did in Tehelka. 319 00:21:27,385 --> 00:21:30,305 But the cast of characters who were part of it 320 00:21:30,385 --> 00:21:32,585 were still not willing to talk about it. 321 00:21:32,665 --> 00:21:34,385 Everybody went, "Mum's the word." 322 00:21:35,985 --> 00:21:38,265 [Tejpal] I think the only way to get certain truths out 323 00:21:38,345 --> 00:21:39,905 is cloak and dagger. 324 00:21:39,985 --> 00:21:43,585 So we came up with this plan to target and trap 325 00:21:43,665 --> 00:21:45,425 the cricketers and administrators 326 00:21:45,505 --> 00:21:48,465 using spy cam equipment and get the truth out. 327 00:21:54,905 --> 00:21:57,185 [Bahal] This would be the first time hidden cameras 328 00:21:57,265 --> 00:21:59,305 would have been used on a big scale in India. 329 00:22:00,385 --> 00:22:01,665 So, I had to go to London 330 00:22:01,745 --> 00:22:04,185 to get the most cutting-edge tech available. 331 00:22:08,705 --> 00:22:11,385 So for example, we can put it in these glasses. 332 00:22:12,105 --> 00:22:16,425 [Tejpal] Camera fitted in glasses, watches, pens… 333 00:22:17,145 --> 00:22:20,385 Stuff never used in India before ever. We had never seen it. 334 00:22:22,105 --> 00:22:26,585 [Bahal] There was this briefcase which had this whole big recording device. 335 00:22:27,705 --> 00:22:29,785 So now if we had good quality spy cam… 336 00:22:32,305 --> 00:22:34,545 we needed access to those players. 337 00:22:34,625 --> 00:22:37,105 So, Manoj was an obvious choice of an insider. 338 00:22:44,585 --> 00:22:48,785 Manoj realized, last three years, nobody has found anything out. 339 00:22:48,865 --> 00:22:50,505 Nothing came out. Nothing happened. 340 00:22:50,585 --> 00:22:54,585 When I informed those guys, why didn't they take the action? 341 00:22:54,665 --> 00:22:57,225 For him to see cheating in a sport that he loved. 342 00:22:57,305 --> 00:23:00,665 That's like seeing your wife being unfaithful in front of your eyes. 343 00:23:00,745 --> 00:23:03,745 This is not my job to solve the problem. 344 00:23:03,825 --> 00:23:04,745 This is their job. 345 00:23:04,825 --> 00:23:08,785 He said, "How can I prove my innocence? How can I prove this incident happened?" 346 00:23:08,865 --> 00:23:10,785 Nobody was willing to stand up for him. 347 00:23:15,225 --> 00:23:18,505 [Bahal] One of the ways I could convince him was with the tech. 348 00:23:19,425 --> 00:23:21,025 So, I went back to Manoj, 349 00:23:22,145 --> 00:23:23,865 I told him, if you go undercover, 350 00:23:23,945 --> 00:23:27,025 perhaps more will come out and validate your claims. 351 00:23:28,505 --> 00:23:32,345 Then while we were talking about it, I filmed it and he didn't know about it. 352 00:23:34,905 --> 00:23:37,905 Manoj was stunned. Okay? He's saying, "What the hell?" 353 00:23:37,985 --> 00:23:40,585 His eyes lit up. "Really? I can do this?" 354 00:23:42,705 --> 00:23:44,585 Manoj realized that the hidden camera 355 00:23:44,665 --> 00:23:47,665 was the only way to put the cat on the hot tin roof again. 356 00:23:55,585 --> 00:23:57,105 [Tejpal] Over a period of six weeks, 357 00:23:57,185 --> 00:24:00,505 Manoj Prabhakar and Aniruddha Bahal traversed the country 358 00:24:01,265 --> 00:24:04,665 to sting various cricketers and administrators 359 00:24:04,745 --> 00:24:07,065 who were not match-fixing themselves, 360 00:24:07,145 --> 00:24:09,305 but they knew about it, knew it was happening. 361 00:24:11,585 --> 00:24:14,305 Aniruddha Bahal is a fearless investigative journalist. 362 00:24:15,705 --> 00:24:17,105 But Manoj Prabhakar 363 00:24:17,185 --> 00:24:19,865 was going out and stinging his friends and colleagues. 364 00:24:20,425 --> 00:24:22,305 Guys he had played with for so many years. 365 00:24:24,185 --> 00:24:26,465 You need balls to run with this kind of thing. 366 00:24:35,105 --> 00:24:37,465 [Bahal] It was the first time I went undercover. 367 00:24:40,065 --> 00:24:42,625 The fear that you could be caught out 368 00:24:42,705 --> 00:24:43,545 is always there. 369 00:24:48,105 --> 00:24:51,305 See, you're not getting opportunities for controlling angles. 370 00:24:51,385 --> 00:24:53,505 Because that would look very suspicious. 371 00:24:53,585 --> 00:24:58,025 And you're perhaps getting just the legs of the chair, so to speak, 372 00:24:58,105 --> 00:24:59,545 or the heads are cut. 373 00:25:06,785 --> 00:25:08,545 You had to also be worried about… 374 00:25:08,625 --> 00:25:11,225 Has the battery run out? Or has the tape run out? 375 00:25:12,185 --> 00:25:15,665 You would have to take a bathroom break to change the tape or battery. 376 00:25:17,145 --> 00:25:20,185 And going in the loo with a briefcase looks suspicious. 377 00:25:20,265 --> 00:25:22,345 "Why is he…" [laughs] 378 00:25:26,105 --> 00:25:29,465 We would bring in the tapes in, Manoj Prabhakar and me, and then… 379 00:25:29,545 --> 00:25:31,705 Minty's job was to produce the whole thing. 380 00:25:40,105 --> 00:25:42,225 [Tejpal] The first day when the material came back 381 00:25:42,305 --> 00:25:44,425 and we started looking at the footage, 382 00:25:44,505 --> 00:25:47,665 I realized it's going to be a fucking nightmare to do. 383 00:25:47,745 --> 00:25:49,585 [indistinct voices on tape] 384 00:25:49,665 --> 00:25:52,465 Very scratchy audio, strange video angles. 385 00:25:53,585 --> 00:25:58,225 You try and transcribe an interview where you can't see lip movement, girl. 386 00:25:58,905 --> 00:26:00,905 It is maddening. 387 00:26:02,945 --> 00:26:06,585 But even though none of them were involved in any wrongdoing themselves, 388 00:26:07,465 --> 00:26:11,905 it very quickly became clear, we had an explosive story on our hands. 389 00:26:12,825 --> 00:26:15,705 [man 1 speaking on tape] 390 00:26:19,505 --> 00:26:22,985 [Tejpal] These people were saying what they suspected was happening. 391 00:26:23,745 --> 00:26:26,625 [man 1 speaking on tape] 392 00:26:27,665 --> 00:26:30,785 [Tejpal] We were watching the top cricketers and administrators 393 00:26:30,865 --> 00:26:33,265 talking about match-fixing in such casual manner. 394 00:26:33,345 --> 00:26:35,705 [man 2 speaking Hindi on tape] 395 00:26:43,905 --> 00:26:46,505 [Bahal, in English] The Hansie incident created furore. 396 00:26:46,585 --> 00:26:49,465 Then the news environment became so hot… 397 00:26:49,545 --> 00:26:51,825 We had this, sort of, big fear in us. 398 00:26:51,905 --> 00:26:55,545 If we didn't break the story, some leak will happen somewhere. 399 00:26:56,705 --> 00:26:58,665 There was a lot of time pressure on me. 400 00:26:59,465 --> 00:27:01,625 But Minty was this production guy 401 00:27:01,705 --> 00:27:04,185 who wanted to take things one step at a time. 402 00:27:08,585 --> 00:27:11,225 We had shot people on the sly. 403 00:27:11,305 --> 00:27:12,345 We had stung them. 404 00:27:12,425 --> 00:27:15,265 I could not have one word going wrong. 405 00:27:16,945 --> 00:27:20,065 [man 3 on tape] 406 00:27:24,145 --> 00:27:26,865 Manoj, at one point, called me every four, five days… 407 00:27:26,945 --> 00:27:29,145 [in Hindi] "Is the edit ready? Is the film done?" 408 00:27:29,225 --> 00:27:34,145 [in English] Fuck you! This is not bloody, some bloody Maggi noodles happening, man. 409 00:27:35,265 --> 00:27:36,625 This is serious stuff, 410 00:27:36,705 --> 00:27:41,705 and I'm a slightly serious and scary motherfucker when I need to be. 411 00:27:48,585 --> 00:27:51,345 [reporter] An explosive film about corruption in Indian cricket 412 00:27:51,425 --> 00:27:55,065 that could throw the game into chaos is said to be released today. 413 00:27:55,985 --> 00:27:59,305 Hall was filled with some 40 cameras and 100 journalists. 414 00:27:59,385 --> 00:28:00,745 Packed to the rafters. 415 00:28:01,305 --> 00:28:04,465 International media, politicians, lawyers… 416 00:28:04,545 --> 00:28:05,545 The word had spread. 417 00:28:05,625 --> 00:28:06,985 [camera shutters clicking] 418 00:28:07,065 --> 00:28:10,265 [Bahal] The cast of characters was the who's who in cricket. 419 00:28:11,825 --> 00:28:14,065 There was obviously enormous interest. 420 00:28:16,625 --> 00:28:20,145 [Tejpal] We had sent a copy of the tape to the president. 421 00:28:21,105 --> 00:28:24,185 Because we were very worried that our tapes might get confiscated, 422 00:28:24,265 --> 00:28:26,145 and we didn't know if action would be taken. 423 00:28:27,785 --> 00:28:30,025 And then, at two o'clock, 424 00:28:30,105 --> 00:28:35,705 the final Fallen Heroes documentary was eventually shown to the press. 425 00:28:35,785 --> 00:28:37,745 [dramatic music playing] 426 00:28:39,025 --> 00:28:41,265 [dramatic music continues over laptop] 427 00:28:45,945 --> 00:28:48,945 When the tapes first emerged, everyone was aghast. 428 00:28:49,745 --> 00:28:51,585 [man 1 on tape] 429 00:28:55,945 --> 00:28:59,145 I think it broke a lot of people's hearts to see what was happening. 430 00:29:00,265 --> 00:29:02,865 I was horrified to hear officials say cricket's finished. 431 00:29:02,945 --> 00:29:04,305 Everyone's going to leave it. 432 00:29:04,385 --> 00:29:07,145 [man 1 speaking Hindi on tape] 433 00:29:10,945 --> 00:29:13,505 [Tejpal, in English] Our press conference was stunned. 434 00:29:13,585 --> 00:29:17,025 It revealed quite clearly that match-fixing was happening in India, 435 00:29:17,585 --> 00:29:21,505 and the cricketers and administrators, they knew it was happening. 436 00:29:21,585 --> 00:29:25,065 [man 2 speaking Hindi on tape] 437 00:29:25,625 --> 00:29:27,505 [in English] That creates… boom! 438 00:29:30,905 --> 00:29:34,025 [Ugra] The cricket fans were deeply shattered. 439 00:29:34,105 --> 00:29:36,705 You did think that cricket was having a credibility crisis. 440 00:29:36,785 --> 00:29:39,665 [reporter] Unsurprisingly, some of the team's key figures 441 00:29:39,745 --> 00:29:41,905 were trying to avoid the cameras. 442 00:29:41,985 --> 00:29:44,065 I think, uh… Nobody told me anything. 443 00:29:44,145 --> 00:29:46,465 I'm not aware of those things. That's all I have to say. 444 00:29:47,025 --> 00:29:51,225 [reporter] Meanwhile, the board secretary is questioning Prabhakar's credibility. 445 00:29:51,305 --> 00:29:53,265 [Jaywant Lele] Anything can be doctored, no? 446 00:29:53,345 --> 00:29:56,945 I don't want to say anything. Let him do what he wants. 447 00:29:57,025 --> 00:29:59,785 He is proving his own mettle, what sort of person he is. 448 00:29:59,865 --> 00:30:00,905 Thank you very much. 449 00:30:02,985 --> 00:30:06,225 [Tejpal] Manoj was very, very happy that we stuck with him. 450 00:30:06,305 --> 00:30:07,425 We finished the story. 451 00:30:08,705 --> 00:30:12,105 And finally, he told us the biggest bit of explosive news, 452 00:30:13,305 --> 00:30:15,785 the name of the cricketer who offered him the bribe. 453 00:30:15,865 --> 00:30:18,305 I first met Manoj in mid '97, 454 00:30:18,385 --> 00:30:21,785 when I went to him to have a chat about match-fixing. 455 00:30:22,665 --> 00:30:25,865 Even in those early days, he would drop sufficient hints 456 00:30:25,945 --> 00:30:28,305 that the name he was referring to was Kapil Dev. 457 00:30:29,705 --> 00:30:31,745 [commentator] That's out. Yes. 458 00:30:32,505 --> 00:30:34,345 Growing up, Kapil Dev was our hero. 459 00:30:36,185 --> 00:30:41,225 In 1983, when India won the World Cup, he became a superstar across India. 460 00:30:42,305 --> 00:30:45,985 [reporter 1] Prabhakar has finally come forward to name Kapil Dev. 461 00:30:46,065 --> 00:30:48,705 [Ugra] So when Manoj Prabhakar took Kapil Dev's name, 462 00:30:48,785 --> 00:30:51,705 it's almost like challenging a God of cricket. 463 00:30:51,785 --> 00:30:56,305 Oh, who's Prabhakar? Ready to face? Does he have a guts to face me? 464 00:30:57,625 --> 00:31:00,105 [in Hindi] What does Prabhakar think of himself? 465 00:31:00,185 --> 00:31:02,865 What is he even worth? What cricket has he played? 466 00:31:02,945 --> 00:31:04,305 What good has he done? 467 00:31:04,385 --> 00:31:05,625 I have no regrets. 468 00:31:06,745 --> 00:31:10,345 But my aim has always been to clean cricket, 469 00:31:10,425 --> 00:31:11,985 to clean the system. 470 00:31:12,065 --> 00:31:16,905 Today, by doing this, 471 00:31:18,025 --> 00:31:19,265 I have not made any mistakes. 472 00:31:21,105 --> 00:31:23,665 [reporter 1, in English] After Prabhakar's allegation, 473 00:31:23,745 --> 00:31:27,145 cricket fans will be wondering if this is a desperate ploy 474 00:31:27,225 --> 00:31:29,505 or if there is worse to come yet. 475 00:31:30,185 --> 00:31:33,225 [Ugra] In the 2000s, when all these revelations came out, 476 00:31:33,305 --> 00:31:37,105 you cared about how terrible it was, you wanted it to be solved and sorted. 477 00:31:37,945 --> 00:31:39,705 [reporter 2] Today in parliament, several MPs 478 00:31:39,785 --> 00:31:42,465 demanded a probe into the controversial matter. 479 00:31:42,545 --> 00:31:46,505 It became sort of a hot-button issue for politicians to tap into. 480 00:31:46,585 --> 00:31:49,505 [in Hindi] We have heard the views of the nation, 481 00:31:51,225 --> 00:31:56,545 parliament, and our athletes, 482 00:31:57,905 --> 00:32:02,185 and the majority view is that a CBI enquiry is the only way forward. 483 00:32:02,265 --> 00:32:04,265 CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 484 00:32:04,345 --> 00:32:06,385 [reporter 3, in English] After much speculation, 485 00:32:06,465 --> 00:32:09,025 the sports minister has announced a CBI inquiry 486 00:32:09,105 --> 00:32:10,945 into the match-fixing controversy. 487 00:32:12,585 --> 00:32:16,865 [Karri] The CBI is the premier investigating agency of India. 488 00:32:16,945 --> 00:32:19,465 They have the best manpower resources. 489 00:32:19,545 --> 00:32:21,745 It's a kind of final hope in India. 490 00:32:23,025 --> 00:32:25,665 [reporter 4] With some of the country's biggest cricket stars 491 00:32:25,745 --> 00:32:26,705 potentially involved, 492 00:32:26,785 --> 00:32:29,345 the CBI is expected to proceed with caution. 493 00:32:31,065 --> 00:32:35,705 [Sawani] I was in my office and I was called by the chief of CBI. 494 00:32:35,785 --> 00:32:39,065 They wanted the best investigation. 495 00:32:39,145 --> 00:32:42,025 "Would your unit be able to handle this?" 496 00:32:45,305 --> 00:32:47,745 I was never a crazy fan for cricket. 497 00:32:49,225 --> 00:32:53,305 I was more of an enthusiast about boxing and horse riding. 498 00:32:54,185 --> 00:32:58,585 But the kind of allegations that were being made at that point of time, 499 00:32:58,665 --> 00:33:00,825 they were absolutely unbelievable. 500 00:33:00,905 --> 00:33:06,465 How could we think anybody throwing a game which he was playing for the nation? 501 00:33:07,025 --> 00:33:09,785 So I just grabbed at it. I said, "Why not, sir?" 502 00:33:09,865 --> 00:33:11,665 "It would be an honor. Absolutely." 503 00:33:11,745 --> 00:33:13,385 [reporters clamoring] 504 00:33:15,745 --> 00:33:20,425 The CBI investigation was a massive story. It made for absolutely compelling viewing. 505 00:33:20,905 --> 00:33:23,785 Here at the CBI headquarters, there's almost a veil of secrecy. 506 00:33:24,185 --> 00:33:27,345 Cricketers and alleged bookies will be interrogated in the coming weeks. 507 00:33:27,945 --> 00:33:29,545 [indistinct clamoring] 508 00:33:31,905 --> 00:33:35,265 [Sawani] The eyes of the entire nation were fixed on the CBI. 509 00:33:35,345 --> 00:33:37,185 What happened? What is the truth? 510 00:33:44,065 --> 00:33:50,785 As a muckraker, you have to get into areas which you think are going to be tough. 511 00:33:50,865 --> 00:33:51,945 No-go areas. 512 00:33:55,585 --> 00:33:58,105 Even though this is a very high-profile case 513 00:33:58,185 --> 00:34:01,625 where reputations are going to be made or marred, 514 00:34:02,625 --> 00:34:05,385 I managed to sort of, uh, worm my way 515 00:34:05,465 --> 00:34:08,625 with some of the key people involved in this investigation. 516 00:34:11,185 --> 00:34:15,145 The CBI's expertise has largely been uncovering corruption 517 00:34:15,225 --> 00:34:17,385 in various other facets, but not in cricket. 518 00:34:18,985 --> 00:34:24,505 I don't think they really had an inkling on how big the case would turn out to be. 519 00:34:29,985 --> 00:34:33,065 [Sawani] Frankly, when we started this investigation, 520 00:34:33,145 --> 00:34:37,304 there was only this one allegation made by Manoj Prabhakar 521 00:34:37,385 --> 00:34:40,865 that Kapil Dev offered him 25 lakh rupees. 522 00:34:40,945 --> 00:34:42,344 People did want to know, 523 00:34:42,425 --> 00:34:45,105 is there any truth in what Manoj Prabhakar is saying? 524 00:34:50,505 --> 00:34:53,985 [Bahal] We knew the CBI would be interested in what we had done. 525 00:34:54,065 --> 00:34:57,425 The next thing we knew, the CBI wanted all our material. 526 00:34:58,185 --> 00:35:01,385 [reporter] Prabhakar seems sure that after watching his tape, 527 00:35:01,465 --> 00:35:04,065 the CBI will be able to take decisive action 528 00:35:04,145 --> 00:35:06,385 against some Indian players. 529 00:35:06,945 --> 00:35:09,825 [in Hindi] If you speak with them, you will understand, 530 00:35:09,905 --> 00:35:14,065 I have proven who it was that offered me the bribe. 531 00:35:14,145 --> 00:35:17,465 [man on laptop, in English] Azhar was officially… Yes! 532 00:35:18,185 --> 00:35:22,945 [Sawani] We did glean all the information that was there in those tapes. 533 00:35:23,025 --> 00:35:26,985 [man speaking Hindi on tape] 534 00:35:27,065 --> 00:35:30,305 [in English] 535 00:35:30,385 --> 00:35:33,385 [Sawani] There were a lot of allegations flying around, 536 00:35:33,465 --> 00:35:34,585 but I wouldn't say 537 00:35:34,665 --> 00:35:38,545 that there was any major evidence which could nail somebody without doubt. 538 00:35:41,745 --> 00:35:44,785 [Krishnan] The problem with sting operations using hidden cameras is, 539 00:35:45,345 --> 00:35:47,865 it was mostly anecdotal evidence. 540 00:35:47,945 --> 00:35:50,825 There was no empirical material evidence. 541 00:35:54,385 --> 00:35:57,625 But RN Sawani was a very smart officer. 542 00:35:59,825 --> 00:36:02,385 He was keen on looking at the bigger picture. 543 00:36:03,785 --> 00:36:05,905 [man speaking Hindi on tape] 544 00:36:11,945 --> 00:36:13,225 [in English] 545 00:36:13,305 --> 00:36:15,425 [Sawani] Tehelka tapes did expose the underbelly 546 00:36:15,505 --> 00:36:17,985 in the world of cricket 547 00:36:18,985 --> 00:36:21,585 and showed the role of the illegal bookies. 548 00:36:21,665 --> 00:36:23,865 [man speaking Hindi on tape] 549 00:36:25,465 --> 00:36:29,225 [in English] The CBI had to find out whether players were tainted 550 00:36:29,305 --> 00:36:32,185 and what kind of nexus they did enjoy with bookmakers. 551 00:36:32,265 --> 00:36:33,945 [reporters clamoring] 552 00:36:36,225 --> 00:36:39,945 [Sawani] My team started to gather every bookie 553 00:36:40,025 --> 00:36:43,305 who had ever been booked by any police station in the country. 554 00:36:46,305 --> 00:36:51,345 This spread to Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat region, Rajasthan. 555 00:36:52,505 --> 00:36:54,185 Within the first week, 556 00:36:54,265 --> 00:36:59,465 we had 209 top bookies of the country in our list. 557 00:37:01,705 --> 00:37:04,705 [bookie on tape, in Hindi] When the CBI agent got involved, 558 00:37:04,785 --> 00:37:07,665 it created a very fearful atmosphere for us. 559 00:37:08,905 --> 00:37:10,825 It was such a big scandal. 560 00:37:10,905 --> 00:37:15,825 We were scared that any of us 561 00:37:15,905 --> 00:37:18,825 could be dragged in. 562 00:37:18,905 --> 00:37:23,625 But the aim of the CBI was not to catch bookies. 563 00:37:23,705 --> 00:37:26,705 Their main motive was to get deeper into this case. 564 00:37:26,785 --> 00:37:29,345 Get knowledge and information. 565 00:37:31,105 --> 00:37:32,905 [man on radio, in Hindi] 83, 58-59… 566 00:37:33,665 --> 00:37:35,425 84, 58-59… 567 00:37:35,505 --> 00:37:38,705 [in English] We found that there was a system called a "dabba system." 568 00:37:38,785 --> 00:37:42,025 [man on radio] 85-8… 569 00:37:42,105 --> 00:37:46,425 [Sawani] It would broadcast the odd rates to all the bookies at the same time. 570 00:37:46,505 --> 00:37:49,345 [man on radio, in Hindi] 85-8, 58-59… 571 00:37:49,425 --> 00:37:53,025 [bookie on tape] A man is constantly giving rates, or Bhao. 572 00:37:53,105 --> 00:37:55,585 Who that man is, no one knows. It's just a voice. 573 00:37:55,665 --> 00:38:00,865 He will say the amount and name of the team 574 00:38:00,945 --> 00:38:03,745 and we make a note of it. 575 00:38:03,825 --> 00:38:06,025 [man on radio] 80-83, 62-63… 576 00:38:06,105 --> 00:38:08,865 [bookie on tape] All over India, and the world, 577 00:38:08,945 --> 00:38:11,745 there is only one rate going, at one time. 578 00:38:13,185 --> 00:38:17,545 We don't want to know who gives these rates. 579 00:38:21,225 --> 00:38:24,625 [Ugra, in English] Every bookie was dealing with somebody at a higher level. 580 00:38:25,105 --> 00:38:28,985 And it is almost like a ladder at which it goes to the person right at the top 581 00:38:29,065 --> 00:38:30,785 who makes all the big money there is. 582 00:38:33,185 --> 00:38:36,505 [Sawani] As we dug further into this investigation, 583 00:38:36,585 --> 00:38:38,745 it became bigger and bigger and bigger. 584 00:38:40,585 --> 00:38:44,705 We found out the bookies were being controlled by criminals… 585 00:38:46,505 --> 00:38:47,985 in Dubai and Sharjah. 586 00:38:56,545 --> 00:38:59,425 Sharjah was this Las Vegas of the Middle East. 587 00:38:59,505 --> 00:39:01,745 [crowd cheering] 588 00:39:01,825 --> 00:39:04,425 Lot of Indians dream they will go to Sharjah to watch a match. 589 00:39:10,705 --> 00:39:11,945 Television stars, 590 00:39:12,945 --> 00:39:14,505 movie stars, 591 00:39:15,465 --> 00:39:18,225 their sunglasses and fashion and all that. 592 00:39:19,105 --> 00:39:21,345 And amidst them all would be sitting a man, 593 00:39:23,105 --> 00:39:26,665 India's most wanted criminal, Dawood Ibrahim. 594 00:39:29,385 --> 00:39:31,585 He was known for controlling drugs. 595 00:39:32,385 --> 00:39:34,905 He would kill anybody who wouldn't give him regular money. 596 00:39:36,025 --> 00:39:38,985 He would be sitting there talking on a telephone 597 00:39:39,065 --> 00:39:41,705 and obviously giving orders on what should happen in the game. 598 00:39:43,985 --> 00:39:47,145 And therefore, those who were in cricket in those days 599 00:39:47,225 --> 00:39:50,185 had to suffer a lot of underworld pressure. 600 00:39:50,265 --> 00:39:52,305 [siren wailing] 601 00:39:54,905 --> 00:39:56,585 [Sawani] You must understand, 602 00:39:56,665 --> 00:39:59,785 this bookie world is a dangerous world. 603 00:40:02,505 --> 00:40:07,625 The crime syndicates are unforgiving to any who break the line. 604 00:40:10,065 --> 00:40:13,025 So nobody wanted to come out and say anything 605 00:40:13,105 --> 00:40:14,985 about what's wrong with the game. 606 00:40:17,105 --> 00:40:21,305 But then a very, very important breakthrough came from South Africa. 607 00:40:27,465 --> 00:40:30,745 [reporter 1] Cronje is to be cross-examined at the King Commission 608 00:40:30,825 --> 00:40:33,665 as part of the latest development in the match-fixing scandal. 609 00:40:34,545 --> 00:40:38,425 [reporter 2] The aim of the commission is to get to the truth of the allegations. 610 00:40:39,185 --> 00:40:43,505 At the same time as the CBI investigation, South Africans set up the King Commission 611 00:40:43,585 --> 00:40:45,985 to look into Hansie Cronje's confession. 612 00:40:46,065 --> 00:40:49,585 I failed in my moral and professional duties. 613 00:40:49,665 --> 00:40:53,945 I was not honest and I apologize unreservedly. 614 00:40:54,425 --> 00:40:56,145 His whole persona had changed. 615 00:40:59,785 --> 00:41:01,745 He literally shrunk down in his chair. 616 00:41:05,985 --> 00:41:08,745 But the most dramatic thing in the King Commission 617 00:41:08,825 --> 00:41:10,505 was when Hansie Cronje revealed 618 00:41:10,585 --> 00:41:14,585 the Indian connection with a global network of illegal betting. 619 00:41:15,985 --> 00:41:20,945 Cronje said that he had been introduced to this bookie, M.K Gupta. 620 00:41:21,945 --> 00:41:24,025 [Cronje] He asked me to speak to the other players 621 00:41:24,585 --> 00:41:29,665 and gave me approximately 30,000 US dollars in cash to do so. 622 00:41:30,225 --> 00:41:31,825 That was a big revelation. 623 00:41:33,785 --> 00:41:36,665 We realized he would be a gold mine for us. 624 00:41:37,625 --> 00:41:41,385 But M.K was not in our list of bookies. 625 00:41:42,665 --> 00:41:44,225 So, we started a big hunt. 626 00:41:47,865 --> 00:41:50,145 [reporter] The CBI hunt for bookie M.K Gupta 627 00:41:50,225 --> 00:41:52,825 started today in Delhi's South Extension market. 628 00:41:54,025 --> 00:41:55,945 Who was M.K Gupta? 629 00:41:56,025 --> 00:41:57,865 No one knew what he looked like. 630 00:41:58,745 --> 00:42:01,865 Now, would he have bodyguards? Would he have bouncers with him? 631 00:42:04,185 --> 00:42:06,905 [Sawani] We went to his house, we searched his house. 632 00:42:07,945 --> 00:42:09,745 We went to his relatives' places. 633 00:42:10,745 --> 00:42:13,985 We found that he had a jewelry shop, 634 00:42:14,945 --> 00:42:17,305 which was being manned by his father. 635 00:42:18,345 --> 00:42:20,265 [Krishnan] I found out from his neighbors, 636 00:42:20,345 --> 00:42:23,225 he did not mingle with people, he kept to himself. 637 00:42:23,305 --> 00:42:25,265 Obviously, I thought he had to do that, 638 00:42:25,345 --> 00:42:27,345 given the line of business he was in. 639 00:42:31,505 --> 00:42:34,025 [Sawani] The moment this news came on TV, 640 00:42:34,105 --> 00:42:36,225 he went underground and was nowhere to be found. 641 00:42:37,745 --> 00:42:41,425 But somewhere, he learnt that the CBI is really after him 642 00:42:41,505 --> 00:42:44,265 and that they would do anything to get at him, 643 00:42:45,385 --> 00:42:49,345 and the pressure was on him all the time to come out. 644 00:43:00,705 --> 00:43:04,105 [Neeraj Kumar] I have always been a cricket fan from my childhood. 645 00:43:07,465 --> 00:43:09,425 I put great cricketers 646 00:43:09,505 --> 00:43:12,465 who would serve the country on a high pedestal. 647 00:43:14,065 --> 00:43:17,945 But in 2000, an informant came up to me 648 00:43:18,025 --> 00:43:21,705 and said that someone wanted to surrender before me. 649 00:43:23,785 --> 00:43:25,985 A guy called M.K Gupta. 650 00:43:29,385 --> 00:43:30,705 I said, "Why me?" 651 00:43:30,785 --> 00:43:33,265 Because I was not inquiring into the matter. 652 00:43:33,345 --> 00:43:36,865 So he said, "Sir, he has seen you in a public meeting 653 00:43:36,945 --> 00:43:40,105 and somehow he feels that if he meets you, 654 00:43:40,185 --> 00:43:41,785 you can guide him." 655 00:43:43,505 --> 00:43:46,745 I felt important. I am like… I am the chosen one. 656 00:43:46,825 --> 00:43:47,905 [laughs] 657 00:43:56,825 --> 00:43:59,625 We decided to meet in a super deluxe hotel. 658 00:44:01,105 --> 00:44:03,025 I was very sure of the informant. 659 00:44:03,105 --> 00:44:04,945 So, I went without any backup. 660 00:44:06,665 --> 00:44:08,065 [doorbell rings] 661 00:44:08,145 --> 00:44:11,465 And a very ordinary-looking person opened the door. 662 00:44:11,545 --> 00:44:12,385 [in Hindi] Yes, sir. 663 00:44:12,465 --> 00:44:13,985 [in English] Please come in. 664 00:44:23,185 --> 00:44:25,865 Then I suddenly see two more people in the room. 665 00:44:28,425 --> 00:44:30,505 Then I became a little anxious. 666 00:44:31,505 --> 00:44:34,025 So I took a long breath. 667 00:44:35,585 --> 00:44:37,785 And I said, "Why do you want to meet me?" 668 00:44:38,785 --> 00:44:39,625 He says… 669 00:44:39,705 --> 00:44:42,705 [in Hindi] "Sir, I am to blame for this entire fiasco." 670 00:44:42,785 --> 00:44:45,905 [in English] "I am at the root of all the problems." 671 00:44:49,705 --> 00:44:52,865 And as he began to talk, 672 00:44:54,305 --> 00:45:00,745 I realized that my tryst with corruption in cricket had commenced. 673 00:45:02,705 --> 00:45:05,945 He was telling me such secrets, 674 00:45:06,025 --> 00:45:09,945 I decided to take him back to the CBI headquarters. 675 00:45:21,505 --> 00:45:24,505 [Sawani] When we brought Mukesh Gupta into the CBI, 676 00:45:24,585 --> 00:45:25,945 he was certainly scared. 677 00:45:27,505 --> 00:45:30,025 If he was to reveal the names of anybody, 678 00:45:30,105 --> 00:45:32,265 his life was in danger, definitely. 679 00:45:33,505 --> 00:45:35,465 But we assured Mukesh Gupta, 680 00:45:35,545 --> 00:45:38,225 "No harm will come to you once you tell us the truth." 681 00:45:39,825 --> 00:45:43,945 And finally, he was willing to tell us his story. 682 00:45:56,305 --> 00:46:00,625 Mukesh Gupta was a graduate from one of the Delhi colleges. 683 00:46:00,705 --> 00:46:03,265 He was initially employed with a bank. 684 00:46:05,545 --> 00:46:07,305 [Kumar] When he would walk home, 685 00:46:07,385 --> 00:46:10,985 at the road corner, he would watch people betting on cricket. 686 00:46:12,585 --> 00:46:14,985 He had never played cricket himself, 687 00:46:15,065 --> 00:46:16,865 but in double-quick time, 688 00:46:16,945 --> 00:46:21,185 he understood all the finer points of the game. 689 00:46:27,505 --> 00:46:30,305 [Sawani] At that point of time, he would also go and watch 690 00:46:30,385 --> 00:46:32,625 kids playing cricket in the local grounds. 691 00:46:35,825 --> 00:46:39,625 [Kumar] He understood that if you spot somebody with talent, 692 00:46:40,625 --> 00:46:43,105 you can groom a youngster. 693 00:46:44,105 --> 00:46:46,665 And that was when he met Ajay Sharma. 694 00:46:48,825 --> 00:46:51,825 [Ugra] Ajay Sharma was a boy from not a very wealthy family 695 00:46:51,905 --> 00:46:52,865 playing in Delhi. 696 00:46:56,385 --> 00:46:58,665 He plays a great innings, he scores a hundred, 697 00:46:58,745 --> 00:47:02,425 someone puts hundred bucks in his pocket and says, "I'm so happy. I'm a fan." 698 00:47:04,265 --> 00:47:07,025 [Sawani] At the time, he didn't realize what was happening 699 00:47:07,105 --> 00:47:10,105 and he felt elated that somebody was appreciating his game. 700 00:47:10,905 --> 00:47:14,465 But bookies think long period. 701 00:47:15,545 --> 00:47:18,305 They will cultivate a player for years and years 702 00:47:18,385 --> 00:47:20,865 before they come up with their first request. 703 00:47:22,545 --> 00:47:26,425 [bookie on tape, in Hindi] We meet them as any normal person would. 704 00:47:26,505 --> 00:47:28,825 We don't tell them we are bookies. 705 00:47:28,905 --> 00:47:30,745 You get to know their weaknesses. 706 00:47:31,905 --> 00:47:33,825 [in English] Gifts, parties, women… 707 00:47:33,905 --> 00:47:36,625 [in Hindi] Alcohol is very useful. 708 00:47:36,705 --> 00:47:39,705 Once you have befriended them, 709 00:47:39,785 --> 00:47:42,705 they are willing to talk. 710 00:47:42,785 --> 00:47:45,025 Then you strike a deal. 711 00:47:48,625 --> 00:47:51,985 [Kumar, in English] And Ajay Sharma rose to be a national cricketer. 712 00:47:54,385 --> 00:47:58,025 And M.K Gupta got so much inside information, 713 00:47:58,105 --> 00:47:59,985 he made lots and lots of money. 714 00:48:01,545 --> 00:48:04,385 And he shared that money with Ajay Sharma. 715 00:48:08,985 --> 00:48:10,265 [Sawani] Once you're in, 716 00:48:10,345 --> 00:48:13,825 you know, it's like the insects who get into the wood-borer. 717 00:48:15,225 --> 00:48:16,945 Then you are caught for life. 718 00:48:17,025 --> 00:48:21,425 Mukesh Gupta would say, "You've told me this, I paid you this." 719 00:48:21,505 --> 00:48:24,385 Perhaps he would even be recording the conversation. 720 00:48:24,465 --> 00:48:26,705 He would be able to blackmail the player. 721 00:48:28,745 --> 00:48:32,385 And it is Ajay Sharma who introduced Mukesh Gupta 722 00:48:32,465 --> 00:48:35,025 to no other person than the captain himself… 723 00:48:37,065 --> 00:48:38,385 Mohammed Azharuddin. 724 00:48:39,705 --> 00:48:42,865 [commentator] That's straight down the ground. It's in the air… 725 00:48:42,945 --> 00:48:44,065 Azharuddin. 726 00:48:45,905 --> 00:48:46,985 Azharuddin. 727 00:48:48,745 --> 00:48:51,785 -Azharuddin. -Mohammed Azharuddin. 728 00:48:53,305 --> 00:48:55,145 [audience cheering] 729 00:48:56,705 --> 00:48:58,385 [Sawani] That was a big revelation. 730 00:49:00,345 --> 00:49:03,625 It was really, really at the top at that point of time. 731 00:49:03,705 --> 00:49:05,505 The icon for the country. 732 00:49:06,465 --> 00:49:09,065 And any allegation against him 733 00:49:09,145 --> 00:49:11,985 could not be palatable to the Indian public. 734 00:49:13,305 --> 00:49:17,225 Could Mukesh Gupta bribe somebody like Mohammed Azharuddin? 735 00:49:18,425 --> 00:49:20,985 I felt the pressure to find out what is the truth. 736 00:49:24,665 --> 00:49:27,225 -[man in Hindi] Does the color look right? -It's fabulous. 737 00:49:27,305 --> 00:49:30,185 [woman] The color is lovely, but it's not jittering, right? 738 00:49:30,265 --> 00:49:31,345 It's a summer color. 739 00:49:32,625 --> 00:49:35,185 Had I worn a dark one, it'd have been awful in this heat. 740 00:49:35,265 --> 00:49:37,825 [in English] Azhar was never a communicative person. 741 00:49:38,705 --> 00:49:41,865 He's not somebody who can really tell you what he's thinking or feeling. 742 00:49:42,585 --> 00:49:44,505 -This shirt is nice, right? -Very nice. 743 00:49:44,585 --> 00:49:46,185 I didn't wear a dark-colored shirt… 744 00:49:46,265 --> 00:49:48,345 [in Hindi] But I hope it's not jittering. 745 00:49:48,425 --> 00:49:51,745 [in English] Reticent, reluctant, very nervous. 746 00:49:51,825 --> 00:49:53,545 When was the last time you cried? 747 00:49:54,105 --> 00:49:54,985 -Uh, cried? -Yeah. 748 00:49:57,105 --> 00:49:59,105 -I don't think I cry. -You don't cry? 749 00:49:59,185 --> 00:50:00,225 I hardly cry. 750 00:50:01,185 --> 00:50:03,385 All that would disappear when he stepped on the ground. 751 00:50:04,745 --> 00:50:06,985 -[commentator] Lovely shot. -[crowd cheering] 752 00:50:07,065 --> 00:50:09,665 What timing, what grace, what beauty. 753 00:50:10,745 --> 00:50:11,785 [commentator] And again… 754 00:50:11,865 --> 00:50:13,145 And then these wrists… 755 00:50:14,225 --> 00:50:16,905 It was like a slap on the ego of the bowler. 756 00:50:16,985 --> 00:50:19,465 [commentator] Azharuddin is only dealing in fours. 757 00:50:19,545 --> 00:50:22,945 As if God made Azhar's wrists on a very leisurely afternoon, 758 00:50:23,025 --> 00:50:24,705 carving them to perfection. 759 00:50:25,225 --> 00:50:26,065 [clicks tongue] 760 00:50:27,345 --> 00:50:31,505 [commentator] There it is, a thoroughly deserved century 761 00:50:31,585 --> 00:50:32,865 for Mohammed Azharuddin. 762 00:50:35,305 --> 00:50:37,705 [Karri] I remember when he made a century on his debut, 763 00:50:38,265 --> 00:50:40,385 then a second test and a second century. 764 00:50:41,385 --> 00:50:42,985 And then a third century. 765 00:50:44,025 --> 00:50:46,585 Unbelievable. Unbelievable. 766 00:50:48,145 --> 00:50:49,985 He's a hero for the entire nation. 767 00:50:54,985 --> 00:51:01,105 I was, uh, 14 when Azhar came back after creating the world record. 768 00:51:01,185 --> 00:51:04,505 It was huge. It was massive. 769 00:51:04,585 --> 00:51:07,745 The whole Hyderabad was there, greeting him. 770 00:51:08,905 --> 00:51:12,225 You are ours now. You're the son of Hyderabad. 771 00:51:14,705 --> 00:51:17,705 I told myself, one day, 772 00:51:17,785 --> 00:51:21,025 it will be me also on that podium. 773 00:51:24,585 --> 00:51:28,385 [Sawani] Mohammed Azharuddin is somebody who brought laurels to the country. 774 00:51:30,545 --> 00:51:32,585 Why are you filming? I'm telling you no. 775 00:51:34,825 --> 00:51:37,185 [in Hindi] Now go blow it up on the television. 776 00:51:37,745 --> 00:51:41,225 [in English] But as we dug further into this investigation, 777 00:51:41,305 --> 00:51:46,265 we found there were, you know, some things to be looked into. 778 00:51:46,345 --> 00:51:49,905 [in Hindi] There is no need to film. Why are you still filming it? 779 00:51:55,105 --> 00:51:58,185 [Tejpal, in English] During the Fallen Heroes investigation, 780 00:51:58,665 --> 00:52:00,145 Azhar's name keeps cropping up. 781 00:52:00,945 --> 00:52:02,945 [man 1 speaking Hindi on tape] 782 00:52:05,985 --> 00:52:09,505 [in English] A lot of stories was about Azhar's making a quick deal 783 00:52:09,585 --> 00:52:11,465 of 10 lakhs here, 20 lakhs here, 784 00:52:11,545 --> 00:52:13,505 taking a watch from here, buying a Mercedes. 785 00:52:13,585 --> 00:52:15,505 Those kind of deals, too many of them. 786 00:52:16,305 --> 00:52:18,945 [man 2 speaking Hindi on tape] 787 00:52:19,985 --> 00:52:22,185 [man 3 in Punjabi] 788 00:52:24,305 --> 00:52:28,505 [in English] Other players, they felt he had more money than he should. 789 00:52:34,665 --> 00:52:36,865 [Sawani] He had cultivated expensive habits. 790 00:52:38,065 --> 00:52:41,825 Yeah, you are also a very stylish man. I've already seen… very nice shoes. 791 00:52:41,905 --> 00:52:44,625 -Louis Vuitton. Armani… -Louis Vuitton. Armani? 792 00:52:44,705 --> 00:52:46,065 -And the watch? -Piaget. 793 00:52:48,345 --> 00:52:50,945 [Sawani] He wanted very fancy watches. 794 00:52:51,785 --> 00:52:53,705 He was going around in Mumbai 795 00:52:53,785 --> 00:52:55,665 in high circles. 796 00:52:55,745 --> 00:52:58,505 So, uh, obviously, all that needed money. 797 00:53:00,705 --> 00:53:03,265 [Kumar] M.K told me that he could trap Azhar 798 00:53:04,185 --> 00:53:06,105 with relative amount of ease 799 00:53:07,025 --> 00:53:10,585 because by then, Azhar's lifestyle had become such 800 00:53:10,665 --> 00:53:12,825 that he needed lots of money. 801 00:53:17,705 --> 00:53:20,945 [Sawani] Azhar mentioned to Ajay Sharma 802 00:53:21,025 --> 00:53:23,465 that he was in need of some money 803 00:53:23,545 --> 00:53:27,185 because his girlfriend was doing some fashion show. 804 00:53:27,785 --> 00:53:31,185 His requirement was around, I think, one crore of rupees, 805 00:53:31,265 --> 00:53:33,905 which was a huge, huge amount at that point of time. 806 00:53:35,385 --> 00:53:37,065 Ajay Sharma threw the bait. 807 00:53:38,105 --> 00:53:40,985 "There is a person who could give you that sort of money." 808 00:53:49,025 --> 00:53:52,545 There was a meeting organized in Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi 809 00:53:53,345 --> 00:53:56,105 with Azharuddin and Mukesh Gupta. 810 00:53:57,625 --> 00:53:59,825 Mukesh Gupta, being the clever guy he was, 811 00:53:59,905 --> 00:54:03,265 offered to pay 50 lakh rupees on that same day, 812 00:54:03,345 --> 00:54:06,145 and give him the rest of the money a little later. 813 00:54:07,505 --> 00:54:12,465 But it was kind of obviously clear M.K expected a lot from Azhar. 814 00:54:14,785 --> 00:54:16,345 [bookie, in Hindi] To a bookie, 815 00:54:16,425 --> 00:54:20,305 the captain is more important than any other player. 816 00:54:20,385 --> 00:54:23,145 Because a captain has the most information. 817 00:54:23,225 --> 00:54:28,185 If a bookie has a captain on his side, he makes the most money. 818 00:54:30,185 --> 00:54:33,265 [Sawani, in English] As a captain, Azharuddin was able to bring in 819 00:54:33,345 --> 00:54:36,585 other team members to do his bidding. 820 00:54:38,025 --> 00:54:42,505 Get players to underperform and therefore lose the match. 821 00:54:45,745 --> 00:54:48,345 All these cricketers', you know, claim to fame 822 00:54:48,425 --> 00:54:51,025 is that they're playing for India. What an honor! 823 00:54:51,105 --> 00:54:54,065 And selling that honor? Shameful. 824 00:54:54,145 --> 00:54:56,985 It definitely needed to be met with an iron hand. 825 00:55:07,985 --> 00:55:12,505 [Kumar] M.K's revelations were the backbone of the CBI inquiry. 826 00:55:13,825 --> 00:55:15,945 They recorded his statement 827 00:55:16,025 --> 00:55:19,945 and they found supporting evidence. 828 00:55:23,065 --> 00:55:26,945 [Sawani] We picked up all the call records of Mohammed Azharuddin 829 00:55:27,465 --> 00:55:30,465 and they showed he had been talking to a number of bookies. 830 00:55:31,745 --> 00:55:34,185 Even talking to an underworld don. 831 00:55:38,345 --> 00:55:39,505 Mukesh Gupta told us 832 00:55:39,585 --> 00:55:44,305 Mohammed Azharuddin was running a locker in the Taj Palace Hotel 833 00:55:46,385 --> 00:55:48,785 where people would come and deposit money. 834 00:55:49,665 --> 00:55:53,465 And this was corroborated by, you know, interviewing the hotel staff. 835 00:55:55,785 --> 00:55:59,665 He went shopping at the famous Harrods in England. 836 00:56:01,785 --> 00:56:05,545 All his bills were paid by somebody other than himself. 837 00:56:06,985 --> 00:56:09,505 We, of course, found out it was one of the bookies. 838 00:56:13,905 --> 00:56:17,785 After collecting all this evidence, we were ready to call in Azharuddin. 839 00:56:19,945 --> 00:56:22,025 I had sat through the previous night 840 00:56:22,105 --> 00:56:25,545 strategizing on, you know, the sequence of questioning. 841 00:56:27,145 --> 00:56:30,105 There was a little bit of, you know, anxiety there 842 00:56:30,185 --> 00:56:31,905 that let's not do anything wrong. 843 00:56:34,505 --> 00:56:38,265 The captain of the team, he needs to be clean 844 00:56:39,545 --> 00:56:42,505 and if he is not, then he needs to be brought to book. 845 00:56:46,745 --> 00:56:48,425 [reporters clamoring] 846 00:56:49,665 --> 00:56:52,585 [Kumar] When Mohammed Azharuddin came to the CBI headquarters, 847 00:56:52,665 --> 00:56:54,145 all hell broke loose. 848 00:56:56,625 --> 00:57:00,105 [Krishnan] I clearly remember television crews, hordes of reporters. 849 00:57:00,825 --> 00:57:04,345 Could Azhar be involved in corrupting the game? 850 00:57:06,985 --> 00:57:09,825 Can't be. Azhar? No chance. 851 00:57:09,905 --> 00:57:12,345 That was the only thing which came into my mind. 852 00:57:12,425 --> 00:57:14,945 [in Hindi] They are trying to finish his career. 853 00:57:15,025 --> 00:57:16,425 They want to shut him down. 854 00:57:23,145 --> 00:57:26,745 [Sawani, in English] We have specific investigation rooms 855 00:57:26,825 --> 00:57:28,385 where you do interrogations. 856 00:57:29,585 --> 00:57:32,665 All questioning would be across the table. 857 00:57:35,505 --> 00:57:38,425 Most of the players who came into the CBI headquarters 858 00:57:39,305 --> 00:57:41,105 had a scare on their face. 859 00:57:43,345 --> 00:57:47,265 But there were a category of players who knew what they were doing. 860 00:57:47,945 --> 00:57:50,625 I would put Mohammed Azharuddin in that category. 861 00:57:52,505 --> 00:57:55,425 Azharuddin never answers a question straight. 862 00:57:56,905 --> 00:57:59,385 Very rarely would he want to open his mouth. 863 00:58:00,545 --> 00:58:03,305 Perhaps he had been advised, less you speak, the better. 864 00:58:06,185 --> 00:58:10,585 Mohammed Azharuddin actually stonewalled all queries. 865 00:58:12,985 --> 00:58:16,905 So, the CBI officials decided they must change tack. 866 00:58:19,505 --> 00:58:22,425 [Sawani] That's when we confronted him with the evidence we had. 867 00:58:24,705 --> 00:58:26,865 We started listing his properties, 868 00:58:27,665 --> 00:58:29,745 fancy cars, watches. 869 00:58:30,305 --> 00:58:32,185 We showed him his call records. 870 00:58:33,105 --> 00:58:35,305 Even the SIM that was being used by him 871 00:58:35,385 --> 00:58:37,585 was provided by one of the bookies. 872 00:58:39,505 --> 00:58:43,505 The threat was there that we have M.K sitting in the next room. 873 00:58:44,625 --> 00:58:47,305 If you are denying this, should we bring him in? 874 00:58:49,985 --> 00:58:52,105 [Krishnan] That was the turning point. 875 00:58:52,185 --> 00:58:54,105 I think he broke down after that. 876 00:58:57,105 --> 00:58:59,385 [Sawani] And finally, he told us… 877 00:59:00,985 --> 00:59:02,945 [in Hindi] "Yes, I fixed this match." 878 00:59:07,705 --> 00:59:09,385 [in English] He was a broken man. 879 00:59:12,105 --> 00:59:16,425 But I can't have any sympathy for a player who is tainted with match-fixing. 880 00:59:17,585 --> 00:59:18,905 Letting down his nation. 881 00:59:20,785 --> 00:59:22,105 Definitely no. 882 00:59:30,785 --> 00:59:35,025 People connect with the game of cricket personally. 883 00:59:37,785 --> 00:59:42,465 They would cry. They would laugh. They are so passionate about this game. 884 00:59:44,985 --> 00:59:46,065 So, once we found 885 00:59:46,145 --> 00:59:48,345 that there was something wrong with this guy 886 00:59:48,425 --> 00:59:49,945 who was their icon, 887 00:59:50,025 --> 00:59:51,745 they had every right to know. 888 00:59:57,345 --> 01:00:00,145 [reporter 1] In Delhi today, the minister for sport 889 01:00:00,225 --> 01:00:03,465 unveiled the 75-page CBI report into match-fixing. 890 01:00:05,545 --> 01:00:08,545 [reporter 2] The report shatters cricket's long-held reputation 891 01:00:08,625 --> 01:00:10,825 for being a gentlemen's game. 892 01:00:10,905 --> 01:00:14,585 [Sawani] The CBI came to a conclusion that match-fixing was rampant. 893 01:00:21,905 --> 01:00:24,225 [woman] There should be a very real punishment. 894 01:00:24,305 --> 01:00:26,505 I can say it's a heinous crime in my opinion. 895 01:00:26,585 --> 01:00:28,345 [Sawani] Besides naming our own, 896 01:00:29,385 --> 01:00:32,385 he had named nine international players. 897 01:00:38,345 --> 01:00:40,105 [reporters clamoring] 898 01:00:43,385 --> 01:00:47,785 We also came to the conclusion that little was being done 899 01:00:48,425 --> 01:00:51,585 by the administrators to investigate. 900 01:00:52,305 --> 01:00:53,785 [reporters clamoring] 901 01:00:55,025 --> 01:00:59,705 Immediate impact was a big, big bang in the world of cricket. 902 01:01:07,905 --> 01:01:11,105 When you hear that sport which you love and you care about 903 01:01:11,185 --> 01:01:12,945 and you're emotionally invested in, 904 01:01:13,025 --> 01:01:15,345 that this is happening, you get really angry. 905 01:01:15,425 --> 01:01:16,985 You just get so pissed off. 906 01:01:17,065 --> 01:01:18,865 [indistinct shouting] 907 01:01:20,625 --> 01:01:21,585 How dare they? 908 01:01:22,985 --> 01:01:24,545 What kind of people do this? 909 01:01:25,745 --> 01:01:28,505 But then you realize you're part of a whole community 910 01:01:28,585 --> 01:01:31,425 so busy worshipping them that they can't even see what they're doing. 911 01:01:31,505 --> 01:01:35,905 [crowd shouting in Hindi] Shut it! Whoever messes with us won't be spared. 912 01:01:35,985 --> 01:01:38,825 Whoever messes with us won't be spared. 913 01:01:38,905 --> 01:01:42,305 [Tejpal, in English] The only truth about sport that fans care about 914 01:01:42,385 --> 01:01:44,185 is that it has to be clean. 915 01:01:45,785 --> 01:01:49,305 That competition is real. It's not fake, it's not a setup. 916 01:01:51,105 --> 01:01:52,745 But the players broke that bone. 917 01:01:55,825 --> 01:01:56,785 That's dangerous. 918 01:01:56,865 --> 01:01:59,745 [in Hindi] Whoever messes with us won't be spared. 919 01:02:04,105 --> 01:02:05,825 [in English] We wanted to look at, 920 01:02:05,905 --> 01:02:09,145 can we register a criminal case against anybody? 921 01:02:09,865 --> 01:02:14,425 So we took an opinion from three retired Supreme Court judges. 922 01:02:15,785 --> 01:02:18,705 Although betting is illegal in India, 923 01:02:18,785 --> 01:02:22,665 unfortunately, match-fixing is not a criminal offense 924 01:02:22,745 --> 01:02:24,945 and so I was personally dissatisfied 925 01:02:25,025 --> 01:02:28,185 that we couldn't take criminal action against these guys. 926 01:02:32,185 --> 01:02:35,305 [Ugra] I know many who stopped watching cricket after that. 927 01:02:35,785 --> 01:02:37,625 They just gave up. Didn't care. 928 01:02:38,265 --> 01:02:42,785 So, the only way for Indian cricket to return to its equilibrium 929 01:02:42,865 --> 01:02:47,225 was for the cricket board to take action against cricketers that were involved. 930 01:02:48,665 --> 01:02:51,065 [reporter] The board is expected to deal severely 931 01:02:51,145 --> 01:02:53,545 with those implicated by the CBI report. 932 01:02:55,465 --> 01:02:58,945 Cricketing world had to say to its fans, 933 01:02:59,905 --> 01:03:02,025 "No, no, no. We'll not brook any nonsense." 934 01:03:02,105 --> 01:03:03,665 "We will nip it in the bud." 935 01:03:04,985 --> 01:03:09,825 That was one of the reasons Azhar had to be made an example out of. 936 01:03:11,065 --> 01:03:13,785 He had to be hanged publicly 937 01:03:13,865 --> 01:03:17,545 to reassure everybody that the cricketing story is fine 938 01:03:17,625 --> 01:03:19,225 and Azhar was an aberration. 939 01:03:19,305 --> 01:03:22,705 [reporter] In the case of former captain Mohammed Azharuddin, 940 01:03:22,785 --> 01:03:26,025 the finding is that he had a nexus with bookies like M.K Gupta 941 01:03:26,105 --> 01:03:28,745 and that he was involved in match-fixing. 942 01:03:28,825 --> 01:03:31,385 Mohammed Azharuddin 943 01:03:31,465 --> 01:03:33,745 is debarred from playing any cricket matches 944 01:03:33,825 --> 01:03:38,385 conducted or authorized by ICC, BCCI for life. 945 01:03:46,705 --> 01:03:48,945 That's the saddest moment for Indian cricket. 946 01:03:49,665 --> 01:03:51,625 Saddest moment for Indian cricket. 947 01:03:55,945 --> 01:04:00,225 Azhar was like, "The person, the cricketer." 948 01:04:00,945 --> 01:04:03,345 So playing under him was something great. 949 01:04:05,545 --> 01:04:08,585 He lived by example, led by example. 950 01:04:08,665 --> 01:04:10,905 He is a fighter. He didn't wanted to lose. 951 01:04:15,465 --> 01:04:16,705 So, I never believed it. 952 01:04:17,865 --> 01:04:21,825 I never believed it because Azhar couldn't do that. 953 01:04:31,505 --> 01:04:33,665 [Krishnan] Azhar was holed up in Hyderabad. 954 01:04:35,265 --> 01:04:36,465 He went into hiding. 955 01:04:38,145 --> 01:04:39,505 He was drawn into a shell. 956 01:04:41,345 --> 01:04:43,945 I was the only journalist that Azharuddin spoke to. 957 01:04:53,785 --> 01:04:57,465 That drive to Banjara was, uh, definitely nervous. 958 01:04:58,185 --> 01:05:00,545 This is my first occasion meeting the man. 959 01:05:02,385 --> 01:05:04,905 Would he be hostile? 960 01:05:05,745 --> 01:05:07,305 Would he develop cold feet? 961 01:05:08,225 --> 01:05:10,145 Those thoughts were playing on my mind. 962 01:05:12,585 --> 01:05:13,865 He asked me for lunch. 963 01:05:13,945 --> 01:05:15,705 He gave me chicken biryani. 964 01:05:15,785 --> 01:05:20,425 And after which, uh, we sat down for the interview. 965 01:05:24,385 --> 01:05:30,505 He said that it would be grossly unfair to put the blame on him squarely. 966 01:05:33,585 --> 01:05:36,505 He thought that the problem was even bigger. 967 01:05:38,705 --> 01:05:41,385 But the larger point he was trying to send out, 968 01:05:41,465 --> 01:05:45,385 he kept protesting loudly that he was not involved, 969 01:05:45,465 --> 01:05:47,465 that he was being made a scapegoat. 970 01:05:50,985 --> 01:05:54,625 He kept telling me that he would ride the storm… 971 01:05:56,905 --> 01:05:59,225 and he would come out triumphant. 972 01:06:00,545 --> 01:06:02,145 He actually thought 973 01:06:02,225 --> 01:06:05,025 the ban would be lifted if he successfully contested it. 974 01:06:13,785 --> 01:06:16,785 [Ramakanth Reddy] Being a lawyer is my passion, my love. 975 01:06:18,625 --> 01:06:22,185 I've been practicing law for the last 30 years. 976 01:06:24,785 --> 01:06:27,065 Now, after the life ban was imposed, 977 01:06:27,145 --> 01:06:28,905 Azhar came to me and said, 978 01:06:30,825 --> 01:06:32,385 [in Hindi] "Do something about it." 979 01:06:35,745 --> 01:06:40,745 [in English] We have a CBI report which I read, reread and went on reading. 980 01:06:42,385 --> 01:06:45,345 Right from the beginning, everything was not in order. 981 01:06:48,705 --> 01:06:53,185 See, the whole enquiry is based on hearsay. 982 01:06:55,745 --> 01:06:59,665 What Ajay Sharma says, or what, uh, Manoj Prabhakar says. 983 01:07:00,425 --> 01:07:02,585 Or Mukesh Kumar Gupta. 984 01:07:04,185 --> 01:07:07,905 He had lot of endorsements and lakhs of rupees coming in. 985 01:07:08,625 --> 01:07:11,185 He never had any assets 986 01:07:11,265 --> 01:07:13,665 disproportionate to the known sources of income. 987 01:07:13,745 --> 01:07:16,385 So how can we give credence to this whole report? 988 01:07:17,305 --> 01:07:22,625 There is not a single photograph, not a single video clipping, nothing. 989 01:07:22,705 --> 01:07:23,785 It's very bad. 990 01:07:25,905 --> 01:07:28,785 You are saying that you never did anything wrong. 991 01:07:28,865 --> 01:07:31,185 It's complete rubbish, the match-fixing allegations. 992 01:07:31,265 --> 01:07:32,705 -I think so. -But they said 993 01:07:32,785 --> 01:07:35,225 you admitted to some of the match-fixing stuff and… 994 01:07:35,305 --> 01:07:39,385 No. Because I have no chargesheet from any agency. 995 01:07:39,465 --> 01:07:41,865 -So unless-- -But nor has your name been cleared. 996 01:07:41,945 --> 01:07:43,265 Hopefully, it will be cleared. 997 01:07:44,305 --> 01:07:47,465 Azharuddin completely denied that he'd ever told the CBI 998 01:07:47,545 --> 01:07:49,705 anything that was stated in the CBI report. 999 01:07:54,265 --> 01:07:56,505 But after we spoke to him, 1000 01:07:56,585 --> 01:08:02,105 the income tax authorities had raided his wife Sangeeta's house in Mumbai. 1001 01:08:06,505 --> 01:08:10,145 They had found a fax from Azharuddin. 1002 01:08:11,905 --> 01:08:16,345 Surprisingly, he went home and wrote everything that he had told us 1003 01:08:16,425 --> 01:08:19,465 and faxed them to his wife, Sangeeta Bijlani. 1004 01:08:21,265 --> 01:08:22,705 Point-by-point, 1005 01:08:22,785 --> 01:08:26,464 he listed all the various things that he had told us. 1006 01:08:28,705 --> 01:08:33,384 For example, the introduction to M.K by Ajay Sharma. 1007 01:08:34,424 --> 01:08:39,185 He had also written in the fax about his shopping spree in Harrods. 1008 01:08:39,265 --> 01:08:41,825 That bill had been paid by one of the bookies. 1009 01:08:41,905 --> 01:08:45,464 So that corroborated that, you know, 1010 01:08:45,544 --> 01:08:48,384 Azharuddin indeed had told all that things to us. 1011 01:08:48,464 --> 01:08:51,145 He has been consistent all throughout 1012 01:08:51,225 --> 01:08:54,384 in saying that he was not involved in match-fixing, 1013 01:08:55,265 --> 01:08:59,905 and any confession before a police officer is essentially under pressure. 1014 01:09:01,065 --> 01:09:03,745 We were quite certain that he was involved. 1015 01:09:05,945 --> 01:09:07,705 Left no room for any doubt. 1016 01:09:09,865 --> 01:09:13,785 [interviewer] These allegations came and just ended your career abruptly. 1017 01:09:13,865 --> 01:09:16,025 How did you cope with that? What did you do? 1018 01:09:16,105 --> 01:09:19,785 Infinite patience. That's the only thing you can have. 1019 01:09:19,865 --> 01:09:22,665 I mean, if anybody possesses that, infinite patience, 1020 01:09:22,745 --> 01:09:24,985 I think they'll always come out successful. 1021 01:09:25,065 --> 01:09:28,504 -Thank you for being on the couch with me. -My pleasure. 1022 01:09:28,584 --> 01:09:30,985 Although not answering all the questions that honestly. 1023 01:09:31,065 --> 01:09:31,905 Maybe next time. 1024 01:09:31,985 --> 01:09:34,504 -We should have another couch with you. -Maybe next time… 1025 01:09:44,544 --> 01:09:47,025 [Ugra] Once Mohammed Azharuddin was banned, 1026 01:09:47,105 --> 01:09:50,185 there was a kind of a… "Let's move on. Let's move ahead from here." 1027 01:09:52,625 --> 01:09:58,105 The CBI report had a huge impact. It changed cricket. 1028 01:10:00,945 --> 01:10:02,905 [crowd cheering] 1029 01:10:07,745 --> 01:10:10,465 The main thing that we were able to do 1030 01:10:10,545 --> 01:10:13,225 was start this process of educating players. 1031 01:10:15,705 --> 01:10:18,905 Now they are told of the dangers lurking around them. 1032 01:10:20,185 --> 01:10:23,305 How you can be cultivated, how you can be trapped. 1033 01:10:24,265 --> 01:10:26,745 So they can avoid getting corrupted. 1034 01:10:31,545 --> 01:10:35,105 [bookie on tape, in Hindi] Today anti-corruption is everywhere. 1035 01:10:35,785 --> 01:10:40,625 An anti-corruption team stay in the hotel with the players. 1036 01:10:40,705 --> 01:10:42,185 [crowd clamoring] 1037 01:10:42,745 --> 01:10:47,505 Even if one is able to get the players' phone numbers, 1038 01:10:48,265 --> 01:10:51,465 anti-corruption have an eye all over. 1039 01:10:52,465 --> 01:10:53,785 But gambling is still big. 1040 01:10:55,065 --> 01:10:56,425 No one can leave it. 1041 01:10:56,505 --> 01:10:58,025 I have never even tried. 1042 01:10:59,265 --> 01:11:00,825 This is my job. 1043 01:11:08,585 --> 01:11:10,665 [Ugra] When I look back at that time, 1044 01:11:10,745 --> 01:11:12,305 it was almost like growing up. 1045 01:11:12,385 --> 01:11:15,545 [chuckles] In sports journalism, it's like saying, "Wake up." 1046 01:11:15,625 --> 01:11:19,545 Getting a slap on your fae and saying, "Wake up. This is what real life is like." 1047 01:11:23,305 --> 01:11:26,825 And so, for me, the superstars have gone away and faded, 1048 01:11:27,905 --> 01:11:30,985 but what I love is being part of the cricket community. 1049 01:11:31,465 --> 01:11:32,905 Being part of the family. 1050 01:11:32,985 --> 01:11:36,705 [crowd cheering] 1051 01:11:39,505 --> 01:11:41,345 It always comes back to cricket, 1052 01:11:41,425 --> 01:11:44,865 because it can just set you alight with a piece of action 1053 01:11:44,945 --> 01:11:46,945 that you can't find in any other sport. 1054 01:11:48,985 --> 01:11:52,545 [commentator] Gone! Off stump… 1055 01:11:53,985 --> 01:11:57,265 Unbelievable performance from India. 1056 01:12:15,505 --> 01:12:18,305 [in Hindi] I will not be taking any further legal action. 1057 01:12:18,385 --> 01:12:21,345 I'm very happy with the court's decision. 1058 01:12:21,905 --> 01:12:26,705 [in English] Uh, the case was overturned only on account of technical reasons. 1059 01:12:27,265 --> 01:12:30,265 We, in CBI, are absolutely certain 1060 01:12:30,345 --> 01:12:33,985 that Mr. Mohammed Azharuddin was involved in match-fixing. 1061 01:12:34,065 --> 01:12:38,065 And we said it with lot of evidence available at hand. 1062 01:12:38,145 --> 01:12:40,225 [in Hindi] I want to do something in cricket 1063 01:12:40,305 --> 01:12:42,105 because I have played so many years. 1064 01:12:42,185 --> 01:12:45,945 I would want to share my experience 1065 01:12:46,025 --> 01:12:49,865 with the young generation of cricketers. 1066 01:12:49,945 --> 01:12:51,025 [reporter] Azhar, uh… 1067 01:12:58,705 --> 01:13:02,225 [in Hindi] The board is ill-informed, 1068 01:13:02,305 --> 01:13:05,705 and I'm disappointed by its decision, 1069 01:13:05,785 --> 01:13:11,105 which I feel is arbitrary and discriminatory. 1070 01:13:30,185 --> 01:13:35,385 [in English] I do not think that M.K had any remorse as such. 1071 01:13:35,465 --> 01:13:37,185 He had made enough money 1072 01:13:37,945 --> 01:13:40,825 and, uh, that it was time for him to, 1073 01:13:41,945 --> 01:13:45,225 uh, shall we say, enjoy his earnings. 1074 01:13:45,305 --> 01:13:46,905 [reporters clamoring] 1075 01:13:57,145 --> 01:14:00,545 Now I can go back and sleep properly. 1076 01:14:01,705 --> 01:14:05,185 Nothing… Leave it to the government agencies. 1077 01:14:05,265 --> 01:14:09,425 The allegation made by Manoj Prabhakar against Kapil Dev 1078 01:14:09,505 --> 01:14:12,745 were not corroborated by any kind of evidence. 1079 01:14:14,905 --> 01:14:19,385 The nation's spirit would have broken if they found Kapil Dev was involved. 1080 01:14:20,425 --> 01:14:23,225 And to that extent, I think everybody was very relieved 1081 01:14:23,305 --> 01:14:24,705 that he's not involved. 1082 01:14:25,705 --> 01:14:27,145 [man, in Hindi] Get the car! 1083 01:14:27,225 --> 01:14:28,705 [indistinct chatter] 1084 01:14:34,185 --> 01:14:36,585 [Sawani, in English] When Mukesh Gupta revealed 1085 01:14:36,665 --> 01:14:39,985 that he had dealings with Manoj Prabhakar also, 1086 01:14:40,065 --> 01:14:42,305 that… the entire tables turned. 1087 01:14:42,385 --> 01:14:46,985 Perhaps he may not have been as bold in taking part in the sting operations 1088 01:14:47,065 --> 01:14:50,105 if he had ever known that he himself will be exposed. 1089 01:14:50,185 --> 01:14:53,825 [in Hindi] I never expected that this thing would end this way. 1090 01:14:53,905 --> 01:14:58,545 I was the one who originally exposed this in front of the public. 1091 01:14:58,625 --> 01:15:02,305 If I was involved, I would never have started it. 1092 01:15:11,905 --> 01:15:14,585 [Bahal] We don't know the extent, if at all, 1093 01:15:14,665 --> 01:15:17,745 of Manoj's involvement in the match-fixing saga. 1094 01:15:18,665 --> 01:15:22,505 We did ask him, we did confront him, but he denied everything to us. 1095 01:15:23,385 --> 01:15:25,105 You could say that Manoj Prabhakar 1096 01:15:25,185 --> 01:15:27,985 was possibly the most gutsy or the most foolish. 1097 01:15:28,745 --> 01:15:32,065 You know, in that sense, to me, it was enormously gutsy.