Gujarat Money Heist: 21 Farm Labourers, Unemployed Youngsters Fake IPL in Gujarat’s Mehsana To Dupe Russian Punters; Four Arrested

Ahmedabad, July 11: In what can be seen as the biggest heist of the year or even the decade, a village in Gujarat pulled off a con by faking an IPL tournament. Yes, you read that right! The fake IPL in Gujarat’s village had it all – from farm labourers acting as cricketers to an Harsha Bhogle mimic and an official Telegram channel. All this was done to dupe a group of remote audience of Russian gamblers who are addicted to betting on T20.

According to a report in the Times of India, the fake IPL was held at a remote farm at Molipur village of Mehsana district. The IPL eve had almost reached the knockout stage when the organisers were busted by cops. Sources from the police said that the fraudsters who set up the fake “IPL” event in Gujarat used to accept bets from Russian punters. Vijay Mallya Sentenced to Four Months in Prison by Supreme Court in Contempt Case.

Interestingly, the punters were from Russian cities of Tver, Voronezh and Moscow. Cops also said that the alleged IPL matches that were played out at the village in Gujarat were broadcasted live over a fortnight from a YouTube channel named “IPL”. Surprisingly, what made the fake IPL fraud grand was the fact that the fake matches began three weeks after the real IPL got over.

A police officer said that the whole con was pulled off by using 21 farm labourers and unemployed youngsters from the village. Shockingly, the labourers and unemployed youth took turns and wore jerseys of real IPL teams such as Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans. In order to make the fake “IPL” look real, the fraudsters even did umpiring and used few walkie-talkies in front of five HD cameras.

Check tweet:

Can’t stop laughing. Must hear this “commentator” pic.twitter.com/H4EcTBkJVa

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 11, 2022

The scamsters even used crowd-noise sound effects which they downloaded from the internet in order to make the ambience appear authentic to the Russian audience. What’s astonishing is the fact that the fraudsters tricked the audience by bringing in a commentator-cum mimic artist from Meerut who did commentary like Harsha Bhogle. This lead to the audience betting their roubles on the fake Telegram channel set up by the gang.

So far, the Mehsana police have arrested four people in the matter. They are also investigating the hawala channel that was used to keep this con alive. Police official Bhavesh Rathod said that Chief organiser Shoeb Davda helped execute the con. Rathod said that Davda returned to Molipur after working for eight months in a Russian pub that is famous for taking bets. Mumbai Weather Forecast: IMD Issues Orange Alert for Mumbai and Thane Till July 13; Skymet Says, ‘3-Digit Rainfall Possible Between July 11 and 14’.

“Shoeb hired the farm of Ghulam Masih and installed halogen lights there. He readied 21 farm labourers, promising them Rs 400 per match. Next, he hired cameramen and bought t-shirts of IPL teams,” Rathod added. During questioning, Davda told cops that one Asif Mohammed masterminded the con, whom he met while working in Russia. He further claimed that Asif introduced the Russian punters in the pub to the nuances of cricket.

After returning back to Molipur from Russia, Shoeb teamed up with Sadiq Davda, Saqib, Saifi and Mohammed Kolu, who allegedly played the role of umpires in the fake IPL matches. Interestingly Saqib, who is a resident of Meerut also volunteered to be the commentator. However, the con failed when all the accused were arrested after the first instalment of bets from Russia amounting to Rs 3 lakh was just delivered. 27 People Travelling in ONE Auto Shock UP Cops in Fatehpur; Viral Video Will Leave You Open-Mouthed!.

“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.

(The above story first appeared on Today News 24 on Jul 11, 2022 12:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website todaynews24.top).