Match-fixing: Cops connect dots from KPL to Abu Dhabi T10 League

News Network
November 9, 2019

Bengaluru, Nov 9: Two Karnataka Premier League franchisees whose names have cropped up prominently in the ongoing match-fixing scandal in the T20 tournament, and who allegedly influenced cricketers CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi to fix matches, also own teams in the T10 League in Abu Dhabi that have some of international cricket’s biggest names on their roasters.

Gautam, a former Karnataka Ranji captain, and Kazi, another Ranji player from the state, were arrested on Thursday on the charges of fixing as many as four KPL matches in 2018 and 2019.

A day later, the Bengaluru police said the duo did so at the insistence of Belagavi Panthers’ owner Asfak Ali Thara, who was nabbed in September in the KPL fixing racket, and Bellary Tuskers’ Arvind Venkatesh Reddy , who has been questioned by the police.Thara was identified as the co-owner of the Kerala Knights team in the ICC-approved T10 league.

Some of the players in the squad included England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow, and West Indies’ T20 guns for hire, Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard. While the Knights disassociated themselves from Thara after his arrest, Reddy remains the co-owner of the Karnataka Tuskers team (previously known as Rajputs), which has on its payrolls names such as South Africa’s Hashim Amla, West Indies’s Evin Lewis and Marlon Samuels. The Knights do not feature in the 2019 edition of the league, which begins on November 14 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

According to a preliminary investigation report of the Bengaluru crime branch police on the arrest of Gautam, captain of Bellary in the KPL T20 tournament, and Kazi, an all rounder for the same team, the duo conspired with team owners and bookies to fix matches.

In one instance of alleged spot-fixing, Belagavi owner Asfak Ali Thara offered Gautam Rs 7.5 lakh to get a bowler to give more than 10 runs in an over during a game between Bellary and Bengaluru Blasters.

Gautam, a seasoned hand who has also played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians in the IPL, allegedly set up a deal with the off-spinner Kazi during a practice session ahead of the match. Kazi was given an advance of Rs 2.5 lakh for the job. During the match Kazi gave 11 runs — including two wides — when brought on to bowl his first over of the game, the match records reveal (KPL 2019, 12th game).

In the final of KPL 2019, Gautam was allegedly asked by Thara to bat slowly during his innings. Gautam scored 29 of 37 balls and Bellary lost the game by eight runs while chasing a target of 152 set by the Hubli Tigers. According to police, Gautam received Rs 15 lakh as payment from Thara as part of the deal.

In two other games — Game 19 of the 2019 season against Mysuru Warriors and Game 21 of the 2018 season — Gautam was asked by his own team owner Reddy to under perform, the Bengaluru police have alleged.

The crime branch police have also identified Amit Mavi, a small-time cricketer, as being a key intermediary between the bookies, the owners and the players in the fixing scandal.

“C M Gautam, his team mate Abrar Kazi along with Ali Asfak Thara, Arvind Reddy, Amit Mavi and others have indulged in cheating in the 2019 edition of the KPL and have earned money through illegal means,” the crime branch police have said the report.

Thara, 40, was arrested by the police for placing bets on KPL matches with a Dubai-based bookie. He is alleged to have influenced many other players in the KPL to participate in the fixing racket.

Thara, a travel and tours businessman with business interests in Dubai, and Reddy, 45, a real estate businessman, purchased Belagavi and Bellary, respectively, in 2017. Reddy later roped in the Kannada film actress Ragini Dwivedi as co-owner of Bellary.

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News Network
November 30,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 30: A 22-year-old college student succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital in Mangaluru today, days after she was hit by a goods tempo while crossing a road in Padubidri.

The deceased has been identified as Preksha, a resident of Nadsalu Billitota in Padubidri. The fatal incident occurred as Preksha, who was returning home after completing her examination, attempted to cross the service road towards Mangaluru. She was struck by a goods tempo approaching from the Udupi side, causing her to fall and sustain a severe head injury.

Prompt action from local residents ensured she received immediate first aid before being rushed to a hospital in Mangaluru for specialised treatment. Despite medical efforts, she passed away while undergoing care.

Preksha was a student at Karavali College, Vamanjoor on the outskirts of Mangaluru city. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that she belonged to a financially vulnerable family, having previously lost her father. She is survived by her mother and brother.

A case related to the accident has been registered at the Padubidri police station, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances that led to the collision. The incident highlights the growing concerns over road safety, particularly on busy service roads, and serves as a tragic reminder of the human cost of traffic accidents.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 7,2025

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Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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