Rajasthan Royals' player Harmeet Singh today recorded his statement before a court here after the Delhi Police decided to make him a prosecution witness, tightening their case against three cricketers in the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
Police sources said Singh told the court that bookies had urged him to indulge in spot-fixing during 2012 and 2013 editions of IPL but he did not entertain their advances.
A left arm spinner from Mumbai, Singh recorded his statement in-camera under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma.
As the process of recording his statement before the magistrate was completed, Police listed him as a prosecution witness and he will again testify in the court, during the trial, about the alleged offer made to him by his arrested teammate Ajit Chandila and bookies.
Singh, who had represented India in its U-19 team in two World Cups, was instrumental in RR's win in IPL's last season.
Police sources claimed fixers and bookies had tried to lure Singh with gifts to indulge in spot-fixing but he "did not act accordingly".
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals bowler Sidharth Trivedi, who had played for Saurashtra in Ranji for past 10 years, had also recorded his statement before the magistrate and had given details about the three arrested players -- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan-- and other bookies, their meetings, etc.
In a related development, bookie Ashwani Aggarwal today retracted before Additional Sessions Judge Renu Bhatnagar from his confessional statement recorded by the police saying it was recorded by "force, undue influence and coercion".
Ashwani said in his application that the Delhi Police Special Cell officials have threatened to harm him and his family members if he does not "confess".
