Hyderabad:Officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted searches at the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) office on Thursday as part of their ongoing investigation into the bribe-for-selection scandal. HCA chief executive officer Suneel Kante, however, reportedly failed to cooperate with the ACB by not providing the requested details.
The ACB had earlier registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Pattapu Srinivas, vice-president of the Continental Cricket Club, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹9 lakh from a complainant to secure his son’s selection for the Under-19 cricket team in 2021.
During the investigation, ACB officials repeatedly requested information from the HCA CEO. However, the CEO allegedly did not cooperate, leading the ACB to conduct a search at the HCA office.
On Thursday, a team of ACB officials attempted to search for documents and digital evidence at the HCA office. However, the CEO reportedly objected to the search operation, asking the officials not to engage in any forceful activity within the premises. In addition, the ACB summoned former employees of the HCA to provide information relevant to the investigation.
The ACB is expected to collect further information on Friday, including emails and documents related to the selection process for the Under-19 cricket team in 2021.
Earlier, ACB officials had requested the HCA CEO to allow former employees access to official emails to retrieve information required to the investigation from emails. The CEO did not respond to this request.
