Sanjeev Chawla, the alleged paymaster of disgraced South African cricketer Hansie Cronje, has been arrested by police in London investigating match-fixing allegations, it emerged last night.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Serious and Organised Crime Group arrested the 33-year-old from north London on December 13 at 7.30am.

Mr Chawla was interviewed at a police station in central London and was released on bail to a date in January.

An allegation of "attempted corruption" was made by a player to the England and Wales Cricket Board on 3 August, 1999 and sparked an investigation by Scotland Yard. The ECB passed the information on to police and inquiries are continuing, a police spokeswoman said.

She said: "A 33-year-old man was arrested at his home in north London. Officers from the Met's Serious and Organised Crime Group interviewed him at a central London police station.

"He was subsequently released on bail to return on a date in January," the spokeswoman added. The man arrested was not a player or an official, she said.

Cronje, the former South African captain, said he received money from Mr Chawla during the final Test against England at Centurion Park, Pretoria, last January.

Sir Paul Condon, leading the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption team, vowed last month to interview all players named in the 162-page Central Bureau of Investigation report. The King Commission conducted the inquiry into allegations of Cronje's match-fixing.

Among controversial proposals in the inquiry report, it was suggested that South African players' phone calls should be monitored and undercover agents used in an attempt to stamp out match-fixing.

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