"He then bought t-shirts of IPL teams."
A gang, which set up fake ‘IPL’ matches at a farm in Gujarat accepted bets from Russian punters.
The said cricket matches were broadcast live over a YouTube channel labelled ‘IPL’ for over a fortnight, according to a report in The Times of India.
The fake matches began three weeks after the real IPL concluded, thereby making the grand fraud even more audacious.
All it took for the real-life con caper to be executed were 21 farm labourers and unemployed youths from the village, who took turns wearing jerseys of Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, and Mumbai Indians.
The unemployed youths and farm labourers flaunted their walkie-talkies in front of 5 HD cameras.
To make the ambience authentic to the audience sitting in Russia, crowd noise sound effects were downloaded from the internet.
A ‘commentator’ from Meerut with a knack for mimicking Harsha Bhogale was also used, who added to the feel of the fake tournament.
The Russian punters then started betting on the Telegram channel set up by the gang of cons.
Four people have been arrested so far by Mehsana police, who are now investigating the channel that was used to keep the con alive.
The chief organiser has been identified as Shoeb Davda, who returned to Molipur after working for eight months in a Russian pub and is known for taking bets.
Bhavesh Rathod, a police official said: “Shoeb hired the farm of Ghulam Masih and installed halogen lights.
“He also readied 21 farm labourers and promised them Rs 400 each per match. He then hired cameramen and bought t-shirts of IPL teams.”
Here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for….
Footage of the Fake IPL, which somehow conned people in Russia into betting on it.
‘Chennai Fighters’ off to a solid start, pitch looking in good condition. pic.twitter.com/XtaL5W5zli
— Jordan (@JElgott) July 11, 2022
Chief organiser Shoeb later revealed to the police that he met Asif Mohammed, the mastermind of the con job while working in the pub.
Russian punters were introduced to the nuances of cricket in the pub by Asif.
Once back in Molipur, Shoeb teamed up with Sadiq Davda, Saifi and Mohammed Kolu, who played umpires in the fake IPL matches.
The first instalment of bets from Russia amounting to Rs 3 lakh (£3,000) had just been delivered when they were caught.
Interestingly, Anand Mahindra, chairperson of the Mahindra Group, wrote on Twitter: “Just incredible.
“And if they had called it the ‘Metaverse IPL’ they could have gotten a billion-dollar valuation!”
Rathod added: “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.”
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