Ex-India cricketer Jacob Martin denies people smuggling By Mark Dummett

BBC News, Delhi Published duration 28 April 2011

Police in the Indian capital, Delhi, say that they have arrested a former cricketer for human trafficking.

Jacob Martin has been accused of smuggling illegal immigrants into Britain by pretending they were going to play cricket there.

He insists that he is innocent, claiming that he is a cricketer and not a "mafia don".

He played 10 times for India, in 1999 and 2000, and captained one of the country's top teams.

Police have accused him of organising a people smuggling racket by setting up a fake club that pretended to take young cricketers to England.

The case came to light when one of the men was found to be travelling on a fake passport and arrested as he later tried to re-enter India.

He told investigators that he had paid the former cricketer about $15,000 (about £9,000) to arrange the trip.

Mr Martin asked the Delhi High Court to grant him bail, but the judge refused, saying he had done a disservice to a game loved by millions of Indians.