The house of the chief of Canada’s troubled cricket association was fired upon on in the early hours of Wednesday in connection with an extortion attempt, police said.
In a statement, Surrey Police Service (SPS) said the incident occurred at 4.40 am. The home was located in the Newton locality of Surrey, in British Columbia. SPS said that upon arrival, officers noted damage to the residence and evidence of shots fired. The residence was occupied at the time of the shooting and but there were no injuries.
“The investigation is in its early stages; however, it is believed to be extortion related,” SPS said in a release.
SPS’s Extortion Response Team (ExRT) assumed the lead in the ongoing investigation, and the Integrated Forensic Identification Services (IFIS) was processing physical and digital evidence.
The outlet CBC News reported that Cricket Canada president Arwinder Khosa confirmed over phone that the house was his but added no details.
Khosa recently took over Cricket Canada and the body has been beset with controversies. A CBC News report in April said that gang-related threats to Canadian cricket team players were being investigated by law enforcement, amid a web of allegations against the sport’s governing body, ranging from corruption to match-fixing.
A months-long investigation by CBC News raised questions about the role of Cricket Canada’s former and current management and potential match-fixing linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
It said that police in the town of Delta in British Columbia confirmed it was probing allegations “of interference and threats related to cricket at both the provincial and national levels” and due to “broader integrity considerations that extend beyond local jurisdiction”, the matter had been flagged to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Cricket Canada has been in turmoil in recent months amid allegations to financial mismanagement and underwent a court-ordered vote that resulted in a new president being elected earlier this month. Indo-Canadian Arvinder Khosa assumed charge from Amjad Bajwa. However, Khosa was also named in the CBC report and he had dismissed the personal allegations as “political propaganda” against him.
Allegations encompass the March T20 World Cup in India in which Canada was a participant, where a national team player was interviewed by the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit. That may have related to possible match-fixing, the report suggested.
In a statement released at the time, Cricket Canada said that it took “these matters seriously and remains focused on strengthening governance and supporting the growth of the game.”
“Any conclusions will be based on verified facts, proper process, and fairness to all involved,” it added.t said that it “operates within” the ICC’s “anti-corruption framework and remains fully compliant with all ICC applicable requirements”.
