Umpire among two arrested in Islamabad for international cricket gambling

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Anti-Corruption Wing in Islamabad on Wednesday arrested two suspects 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.

According to the FIRs, Zahid Ali is a Sindh Police official, professional cricketer, and umpire. He played in cricket until 2021 and also officiated matches at the district level.

He is accused of involvement in online cricket betting and maintaining contacts with international women cricketers.

The FIR states that 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.” He is also alleged to have been involved in money laundering and sports betting across multiple countries.

FIA further stated that crucial data and evidence have been collected from the suspects’ mobile phones.

The accused, Mujibur Rahman, allegedly maintained connections with gamblers in India, the UAE, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. The FIR reveals that he was also in contact with the owner of a franchise during the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).

FIA said that during the investigation, it was revealed 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.