Kolkata’s Maidan is in the headlines again, but this time not for Kolkata football. On Sunday evening, Kolkata police arrested two officials of a century-old football club over allegations of match-fixing. The arrested individuals are Akash Das and Rahul Saha. According to reports, they were allegedly involved in manipulating several matches in Kolkata in exchange for money.
গড়াপেটার অভিযোগে গ্রেফতার শতাব্দীপ্রাচীন ক্লাবের দুই কর্তা
Police sources said that the match-fixing ring was also being run through the misuse of information technology. As a result, a case has been filed at Belgharia police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act. The two were called in for questioning on Sunday afternoon and were arrested after lengthy interrogations in the evening.
Match-Fixing Shadows Club’s Internal Conflicts
Football circles claim that Akash Das was responsible for team formation at one of Kolkata’s historic clubs. He had been assembling teams for the club for the past three years. Club sources said that due to financial difficulties, the club’s officials had given him this responsibility. However, the other officials claimed that they had had no contact with Rahul Saha over the past three months. There is little detailed information available about Rahul Saha.
Match-Fixing Allegations Have Surfaced Before
Earlier this year, during the Kolkata League, match-fixing allegations had surfaced against Khidderpore and Messers Clubs. Complaints had been filed against Khidderpore’s Abhik Guha and Messers’ two players, Muslim Molla and Sannik Murmu. The police investigation began based on reports from organizations working against match-fixing in coordination with the IFA.
A few days ago, during a meeting with IFA officials, Kolkata police stated that they had obtained some important information regarding match-fixing. This was followed by the double arrest on Sunday night.
Police claim that the mobile phones and financial transaction records of the two arrested officials are being examined. Investigators are also looking into whether there is any connection with international betting syndicates. The incident has caused a major stir in Kolkata’s football circles. Some in the football community say, “Such incidents are tarnishing the image of Kolkata football. The IFA needs to take stricter action.”