ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has nabbed two suspects including an umpire for running an international cricket gambling network.
The arrested individuals were identified as Zahid Ali and Mujibur Rahman. FIA has registered two separate cases against them.
A professional cricketer
According to an FIR, Zahid Ali is a Sindh Police official, professional cricketer, and umpire. He played cricket until 2021 and also officiated matches at the district level.
He was allegedly involved in online cricket betting and maintaining contacts with world women cricketers.
According to the FIR, Zahid Ali had links with players in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, and other African countries. He would introduce himself as a professional umpire and operated through a WhatsApp group named “World Cricket Law.”
Ali is also alleged to have been involved in money laundering and sports betting across multiple countries.
FIA said that crucial data and evidence have been collected from the suspects’ mobile phones.
The other accused, Mujibur Rahman, allegedly maintained connections with gamblers in India, the UAE, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
The FIR said he was also in contact with the owner of a franchise during the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).
During the investigation, it transpired that Mujibur Rahman had received a notice from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and was also involved in human trafficking for cricket betting activities.
Both suspects were also involved in the preparation of forged educational documents, FIA added.
