AHMEDABAD: In a remote Gujrat village, a group of Indian locals staged a “fake Indian Premier League” (IPL) to deceive Russian gamblers.
According to reports in the Indian media, police have detained a group of locals who were involved in defrauding Russian gamblers online.
According to the reports, con artists staged a “fake IPL” that was broadcast live in the Russian cities of Tver, Voronezh, and Moscow.
Can't stop laughing. Must hear this "commentator" pic.twitter.com/H4EcTBkJVa
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 11, 2022
Telegram was used to communicate with the Russian gamblers, and when the group was apprehended by law enforcement, the first instalment of the bets, totaling INR300,000, was sent.
Shoeb Davda, a resident of Molipur, Gujarat, was identified by the police as the fake league’s brains, and they added that he had previously spent eight months working in a Russian gambling establishment.
“Shoeb hired Ghulam Masih’s farm and put halogen lights in it. He prepared 21 farm workers by guaranteeing them Rs. 400 for each match. He then hired cameramen and purchased IPL team t-shirts, according to a police official.
“Shoeb used to instruct umpires over a walkie-talkie to signal fours and sixes. Umpires 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,” the official added.
A commentator from Meerut, with the talent of mimicking famous Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle, was also involved to strengthen the “authenticity of the fake IPL.”
The news managed to gain the attention of Bhogle who laughed out at it.
“Can’t stop laughing. Must hear this ‘commentator’,” the commentator wrote on Twitter.
