Russian gamblers fooled by fake IPL played in paddock
Conmen set up an elaborate fake Indian Premier League tournament using farm labourers posing as cricketers to dupe Russian gamblers, according to police.
The hustlers received thousands of rupees from Russian punters who believed they were watching real matches streamed online.
The counterfeit matches were played not in India’s mega stadiums, but on a remote farm in Molipur village of Gujarat’s Mehsana district.
Gang members had become acquainted with Russian betting circles while working in the country and installed a cricket pitch, complete with “boundary lines and halogen lamps”, police inspector Bhavesh Rathod told reporters.
“Besides this, the accused had set up high resolution cameras on the ground and used computer generated graphics to display scores on a live streaming screen,” he added.
Crowd noise effects were downloaded from the internet.
Labourers and unemployed youths were hired for 400 rupees ($8.25) per match and the contests were broadcast live over a Youtube channel called “IPL”.
To maintain the illusion, the cameraman made sure no wide shots were ever broadcast.
A fake commentator from Meerut with a knack for mimicking Harsha Bhogle, one of IPL’S real commentators, was used to make the tournament appear authentic.
Players took turns to wear jerseys of the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, police said, acting on the instructions of the plot’s ringleader, who was based in Russia.
The tournament began three weeks after the actual IPL concluded in May, according to police, but that proved no hindrance to the gang.
The bogus league reached the quarter-final stage before their gang was broken up by Indian police.
Russian gamblers were lured into betting on a Telegram channel set up by the gang.
The masterminds were in touch with the umpire via walkie-talkie to manipulate the play. The supposed official “would signal the bowler and batsman to hit a six, four or get out”, Rathod added.
Gamblers in cities including Tver,
Voronezh and Moscow had paid more than 300,000 rupees before the gang was rumbled, he said.
Four people have been arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy and gambling.
Police said they were also investigating a money transfer network that had been used to keep the con running.
The real Harsha Bhogle appeared to see the funny side when the story emerged and he found out he had been impersonated.
“I can’t stop laughing,” he said. “I must hear this commentator.”
— Telegraph Group UK