S Sreesanth, Former India Pacer, Booked In Cheating Case

The legal action against Sreesanth and his associates is framed under IPC Section 420, which pertains to "Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property."

Ex-India pacer S Sreesanth.

Source : PTI

Kannur: In a significant development, the police in a northern district of Kerala have initiated legal proceedings against cricketer S Sreesanth and two associates, Rajiv Kumar and Venkatesh Kini. The case stems from a cheating complaint filed by a resident of Choonda.

The complainant, identified as Sareesh Gopalan, has alleged that the accused individuals, Rajiv Kumar and Venkatesh Kini, solicited a total of Rs 18.70 lakh from him on various dates starting from April 25, 2019. They purportedly claimed that the funds would be utilized for the establishment of a sports academy in Kollur, Karnataka, in which Sreesanth is purportedly a partner.

Gopalan, who invested the money based on the promise of becoming a partner in the sports academy, has lodged a complaint detailing the alleged fraudulent activities.

The legal action against Sreesanth and his associates is framed under IPC Section 420, which pertains to "Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property." The trio has been specifically booked as the first and second accused, with Sreesanth named as the third accused in this case.

Sreesanth Not New To Controversies

Sreesanth is not new to controversies and has previously been involved in the IPL 2008 slapgate incident as well as IPL 2013 Spot-fixing scandal among other cases. In 2008 after the then Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) had beaten Mumbai Indians in a fixture, veteran Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh (then playing for the Mumbai franchise) slapped his national teammate Sreesanth (then playing for Punjab franchise) during the customary handshake of the players of both the teams.

Sreesanth was also involved in the 2013 IPL Spot-fixing scandal. In May 2013, three Rajasthan Royals players- S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were arrested on the allegation of spot-fixing. The accused players had reportedly apparently showed some gestures on the field to suggest what bowl they going to bowl. Sreesanth was banned for life which was later reduced to a seven-years ban ending in September 2020. 

Sreesanth Plying His Trade For Gujarat Giants In Legends League Cricket

After appearing as a pundit and commentator for several platforms throughout the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, the former India pacer is plying his trade for the Gujarat Giants in the Legends League Cricket. The right-arm pacer known for his lovely seam position and outswingers bowled 4 overs 1 for 33 against Bhilwara Kings in Ranchi on Wednesday (November 22). Sreesanth was given the responsibility of bowling the final over of the match with the chasing side needing 14 runs to win. The speedster did conceded a six off his first ball but came back well to restrict the Bhilwara Kings to 169/7 in their 20 overs, chasing 173 to win, aiding his team to a 3-run win. This was Gujarat's first win in the competition after losing the first match.

(With Inputs From PTI)