Dawood behind Woolmer's murder: Babloo Srivastava

Lucknow, Mar 22 (UNI) Mafia don and estranged partner of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, Om Prakash Srivastava alias Babloo Srivastava today alleged that Dawood was behind the killing of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer in the West Indies.

''Pakistan-Ireland match was fixed by Dawood and his aides before the start of the World Cup, but the defeat of Pakistan against West Indies in the opening match forced the exit of Pakistan,'' he claimed.

Talking to mediapersons, Babloo said Woolmer had to sacrifice his life as he knew the details of match fixing and the fixers did not want it to come out in public.

''After Pak was defeated by the West Indies, some players wanted to defy the match fixing against Ireland, but none dared to open their mouth against Dawood,'' he said adding if any other bookie, not supported by Dawood, had fixed the match, then the result of the Pak-Ireland match would have been different.

''I have specific information about the involvement of Dawood in match fixing, and in the ongoing World Cup his gang is operating in a big way,'' he maintained.

Fifty-eight-year-old Woolmer was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on Sunday less than 24 hours after Pakistan's defeat at the hands of Ireland and pronounced dead in hospital later that day.

Pakistan camp at the time said Woolmer was discovered by hotel staff on the floor of his room at the Pegasus Hotel with his mouth wide open, blood was discovered on the bathroom floor, there was vomit on walls and signs of diarrhoea.

However, Jamica Police suggested that Woolmer might have been murdered because marks were found around his neck.

Babloo was here in connection with a hearing in a criminal case in the designated CBI court and was brought from Bareilly central jail.

To another disclosure, the don also claimed rival mafia don Chhota Rajan was critically ill somwhere in south-east Asia.

Reiterating his announcement to contest the UP assembly election from Lucknow (Central) seat, he said his poll managers had started the process of campaign for him as an independent candidate.

UNI