ED books 3 Goa Cricket Association officials in money laundering case

Panaji, Sep 16: The Enforcement Directorate in Goa on Friday started a probe into allegations of money laundering by former top officials of the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) who have been already booked and arrested by the state police for cheating the BCCI to the tune of Rs 2.87 crore.

An ED spokesperson said that an enforcement case investigation report had been registered by the central government agency against former GCA President Chetan Desai, Secretary Vinod Phadke and Treasurer Akbar Mulla.

The trio was arrested in June, 2016, for allegedly misappropriating funds of TV subsidy released by the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) to GCA thereby cheating the BCCI to the tune of Rs 2.87 crore.

"The accused persons had also withdrawn Rs 26 lakhs from Federal Bank account of GCA on a non-existing person's name," the ED official said.

The three officials were arrested in June after an Association member Vilas Desai, claimed in a police complaint that Desai, Phadke and Mulla in 2007 had opened fake accounts in the Development and Credit Bank and had deposited the money released by the BCCI into their personal accounts.

The BCCI has already appointed a committee to probe the goings-on in the GCA following the arrest of the trio.