A Diamond Ringleader?

Ever since the match-fixing scam broke, the Mumbai police had been hinting at a probe into the links between leading Indian cricketers and the underworld. After last week’s killing of Ashraf Patel, a Mumbai diamond merchant with alleged underworld links, the city’s crime branch decided to question Patel’s glitterati friends. Among them, Mohammed Azharuddin (who was seen with him a few days earlier), filmstars Sanjay Dutt, Shahrukh Khan and Sunil Shetty. Patel has also been identified by the cops as a bookie and match-fixer. Perhaps prompted by these developments, the government on April 28 finally ordered a CBI inquiry into the whole match-fixing scam.

Officials believe Patel would’ve been targeted earlier but was spared courtesy the former India captain. The sharpshooters, suspected to be from the Chotta Rajan gang, who were stalking him, apparently recognised Azhar and held their fire, perhaps to avoid a big-scale mishap and manhunt against them.

While police officials say Azhar’s questioning over the phone was only preliminary and doesn’t really implicate him in the murder, this is one underworld murder that might once again put Indian cricketers in the eye of controversy. It recalls another gangland shootout in ‘96. Tapping the phones of dons during investigations into the case, it was revealed that they’d been in touch with leading cricketers-albeit through their agents-in order to fix matches.

Police believe that despite Patel’s elitist image, he was the conduit for large-scale betting bids and the contact man for cricketers. "Ashraf Patel was very rich and very friendly with many celebrities. But he had connections with all the Dubai gangs including Dawood. Otherwise he wouldn’t have had such a meteoric rise in such a short span of time. He was involved in betting in horse racing and we are looking into his other connections as well. We are taking the case very seriously and the investigation process is on. But please do not sensationalise it," D. Sivanandan, joint commissioner (crime), told Outlook.

However, Patel seemed to have had a good cover for his nefarious activities with strategic "friendships" and businesses. Police sources say that before getting into the business of selling expensive Swiss watches through official outlets in the Heera Panna shopping complex in Mumbai’s Haji Ali area, Ashraf Patel was known to be a regular supplier of such brands to well-known names in the city’s corporate, fashion and entertainment world. Interestingly, a number of Mumbai and Surat-based diamond merchants (who keep in regular touch with Swiss watchmakers) set up specialised shops to sell Swiss brands in India after the government allowed imports in the early ‘90s. Patel, who owned a number of exclusive Swiss galleries across Mumbai, was close to the city’s glitterati who routinely visited his outlets.

the glitterati associated with Patel is a veritable who’s who of every celebrity list: Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Lisa Ray, Juhi Chawla, Shahrukh Khan, Rhea Pillai, Yukta Mookhey, Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty among others. Of course, not all of them can be suspected of nefarious connections with the underworld. In fact many of them, sources say, might have suspected Patel of being something more than just a rich and suave person. It is significant, though, that Patel has showrooms for many brands represented by Indian celebrities, including a swank new crystal shop showcasing Swarovski at Bombay’s first shopping mall, the Crossroads. He was also instrumental in getting Azhar the contract to be the brand ambassador for Tissot watches.

Patel is known for the largesse he distributed among his celeb friends. Yukta Mookhey is said to have been gifted a Rs 12 lakh Swiss watch by him. On the day he was gunned down, he had lunch with Sanjay Dutt and a few days before that he was seen in the company of Azharuddin. Also, it was Patel who persuaded the Swatch company to promote the Shahrukh Khan starrer Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani in Mumbai.

Top police officials in the city went into a huddle on April 28 at a long-drawn conference to debate the recent murders in the city. According to the police, many of Patel’s celebrity friends and acquaintances might be questioned in the coming weeks. But it’s his friendship with cricketers that could lead to some skeletons tumbling out of the cupboard. The police also believe they now have clearer evidence of Patel’s links to bookies. And while other celebrities associated with Patel may not be of much help to the investigation, it is Azharuddin’s "friendship’’ with Ashraf Patel that the authorities are touting as the most crucial aspect of the investigations. And it could well mark the beginning of the unravelling of the entire match-fixing imbroglio.

Police authorities have hinted that although Azharuddin seems to have the most obvious connection to Patel, there could be evidence of other cricketers having links with Patel as well. Patel was a frequent traveller to Dubai and Sharjah, and the police have gathered evidence that all these visits were timed to coincide with some crucial cricket matches. But ever since his links with the underworld came to light, most of Patel’s friends seem to have suddenly forgotten him. Ironically, this most sought-after man in Mumbai’s exclusive circles, in his death has become the most shunned.