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Police claim fresh evidence against Cronje

Indian police said on Monday they had fresh evidence to shore up match-fixing charges against South African cricket skipper Hansie Cronje, as Delhi sought to play down a diplomatic spat over the case.

"We believe we now have sufficient evidence in this case but it is for the courts to decide," New Delhi Crime Branch chief Pradeep Srivastava said, describing additional evidence obtained by the police as "clinching."

Srivastava said his detectives had proof that Cronje was in close contact with a London-based bookie, Sanjay Chawla, during South Africa's March 9-19 one-day series in India.

"The continued association between Chawla and Cronje began much before their contacts in New Delhi," he said, alleging that Chawla stayed in the same hotel with Cronje during the first one-day match in the southern city of Cochin.

Srivastava said the police were in possession of evidence besides tapes of purported conversations between Cronje, Chawla and his associate Rajesh Kalra, who is currently in police custody.

"We have more than just the tapes which are now sealed but what we have are not for discussion. Whatever evidence we have will be produced in court in due course."

Indian police stunned the cricket world on Friday when they announced they were filing charges against Cronje and teammates Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom for allegedly fixing the one-day series which India won 3-2.

South African High Commissioner to India Maite Nkoana-Mashabane called in at the foreign ministry on Monday to request access to the tapes.

"We shall be awaiting to hear from the foreign minister," she told reporters.

"I did not come here to lodge any official protest."

Indian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Monika Mohta said the two sides had "reiterated their closest possible ties" during the meeting, and agreed that the "law shall take its own course."

"The two governments are in touch with each other and they have decided to remain in touch with each other on the matter in coming days," she said.

An official foreign ministry statement released on Monday challenged Pretoria's claim that it was kept in the dark before Friday's police conference.

"In conformity with our close and cordial relations with South Africa, we had informed the South African side prior to the case being made public," the statement said.

Crime Branch chief Srivastava said police had come under "no pressure" from the South African authorities over their investigations.

The police, meanwhile, stepped up security for another suspect, Kishan Kumar, at a hospital where he is in the intensive care unit with cardiac problems.

Police said the extra security for the suspected bookie had been ordered amid fears that he could be the target of an assassination bid by gangsters in Noida, where he is hospitalised.

Srivastava's police detectives on Monday served Kumar with another notice to appear before the crime branch for questioning over his links with Cronje, but doctors said he was unfit to make any statements.

"Although there is considerable improvement in his condition, we are of the view that Kumar will not be in a position to undergo the stress of cross-questioning for the next 48 to 72 hours," hospital chief Mahesh Sharma said.