Interpol yet to get request from India

By Thomas Abraham

LONDON, APRIL 10. Interpol has not received any request so far from the Delhi police for the arrest of Mr. Sanjeev Chawla, the businessman wanted in connection with the alleged match-fixing case during the recent India-South Africa cricket series.

A spokesman for the British National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), which represents Interpol in Britain, said they had not heard anything about the case from the Indian authorities. The Indian High Commission here, which would normally hand over any arrest warrant from the police in India to Interpol, also said it had not received any requests.

The NCIS spokesman said that any requests for Mr. Chawla's arrest would be handed over to the Metropolitan police, the London police force. Those familiar with the procedures say the request will have to go through the normal judicial procedures required for extradition, and Mr. Chawla will have the option of fighting extradition in the courts.

The local press has reported that Mr. Chawla runs an import- export business in London, but has been missing from his home and his shop on Oxford Street since last Friday. The Sunday Times newspaper quoted one of Mr. Chawla's associates, Mr. Rajesh Khurana, as saying that Mr. Chawla believed he had been framed. ``He is aware of the allegations, but he claims he is 100 per cent innocent and he is very upset. He has not heard anything from the Indian police, but he spoke to his family in Delhi who say the story on the Internet.''

Mr. Khurana, who is the company secretary of Mr. Chawla's business, said he was not aware of Mr Chawla's personal affairs, but did not think he was conspicuously wealthy. ``I don't think he has that kind of money - he drives around in a broken-up BMW,'' he told the newspaper. Mr. Chawla is reported to have been living in Britain for the last seven years.

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Section  : International
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