In an amazing and hilarious turn of events, Gujarat police have busted a gang that staged a fake IPL tournament in a village in the state and duped Russian punters into betting large amounts of money on fake matches, which were broadcasted on YouTube.
The fake IPL matches were played amongst farm laborers pretending to be players while a Harsha Bhogle mimic commentated on the match.
A report in the Times of India stated that the fake IPL was being played at a farm in Molipur Village of the Mehsana district and the tournament had progressed to the quarter-finals stage before it was busted.
The gang got bets being placed from the Russian cities of Tver, Voronezh, and Moscow through a Telegram channel as the matches were broadcast on a YouTube channel named "IPL".
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The report further stated that 21 farm laborers and unemployed youths from the village pretended to be players from IPL sides Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Titans. To make the tournament look more authentic, five HD cameras were used and a crowd-noise sound effect was added. A Meerut resident who can mimic Bhogle was used as a commentator.
The real Harsha Bhogle shared a photo of the TOI article on his Twitter account with the caption reading: “Can't stop laughing. Must hear this "commentator"
The report further stated that police have arrested four people in connection to the fraud case. Shoeb Davda, who returned to Molipur after working for eight months in a Russian pub, is the "chief organizer' of the con, according to the police.
“Shoeb hired the farm of Ghulam Masih and installed halogen lights there. He readied 21 farm laborers, promising them Rs 400 per match. Next, he hired cameramen and bought t-shirts of IPL teams,” police officer Bhavesh Rathod said.
Shoeb revealed during the investigation that he met a person named Asif Mohammed in the Russian pub who masterminded the charade. Shoeb later teamed up with Sadiq Davda, Saqib, Saifi, and Mohammed Kolu in Molipur to orchestrate the fake IPL.
“Shoeb would take live bets over the Telegram channel. He would instruct Kolu, the umpire, over a walkie-talkie to signal fours and sixes. Kolu communicated the same to the batsman and the bowler. Acting on the instructions, the bowler would deliver a slow ball, enabling the batsman to hit it for a four or a six,” Rathod said.
(Times of India inputs)
