Bollywood starlet Nupur Mehta confirmed on Monday that the picture splashed across newspapers and TV channels in cricket-playing nations was hers, but denied any link with the match-fixing controversy. The actress also threatened to sue the UK newspaper Sunday Times for first using her photograph. "I am really hurt and considering legal action against the paper for using my picture," Nupur told media persons. 

 

The actress, who was a part of the Sunny Deol-starrer Jo Bole So Nihal, said she was a cricket fan like any other but had nothing to do with the match-fixing case. Bookies, however, said they were not surprised at a Bollywood starlet's name cropping up in the latest controversy surrounding cricket and match-fixing. "A bookie's face is known to the cops and people in the cricketing world, so we use B and C-grade Bollywood actresses to reach cricketers. They work on the cricketers' likes and dislikes by bribing staff carrying drinks to cricketers on the field, or at times even the hotel staff where the team is staying. Accordingly, we plan the package for them," said a bookie. 

 

Another person who is part of the cricketer-bookie nexus claimed, "It is very easy to lure cricketers by using an actress. Often women - especially girls from the glamour field - are used to fix a cricketer's price and pass on the money. Cricketers don't hold secrets from a girl who is drinking with them. She plays the crucial role of the messenger for the man who is trying to fix the game." A similar incident was highlighted in Mahesh Bhatt's film Jannat in which bookies used a starlet to lure cricketers. Bhatt said, "The pressure of winning and the humiliation of defeat make cricketers very vulnerable. Bookies and match-fixers use women to manipulate their targets to achieve their objectives." 

 

He added: "The purists of the cricket world ridiculed us for shooting a scene in which a cricketer succumbed to his carnal passions and agreed to throw the match. I guess our detractors will now concede that their faith in cricket gods was misplaced." Bollywood starlet Neetu Chandra and Pakistani actress Veena Malik's names too had come up in Pakistani bowler Mohammed Asif's spot-fixing case. Neetu had then denied knowing the cricketer. Veena Malik clarified on Monday: "I have always been against match-fixing. I came out in the open and spoke about it when I thought Asif was doing something fishy. I hope the allegations against the Pakistani cricket team are not true." 

 

While Nupur continues to deny her involvement, some other names have cropped up. A source said, "There is a possibility of another actress who comes from a political background being involved in the fixing mess."