Fake T20 cricket league busted in Gujarat; 4 arrested
The police have busted a fake T20 cricket league in Gujarat, used to extract betting money from Russian bookies. Four people have been arrested in connection to the same.
FollowPolice have busted a gang conducting a fake Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in Gujarat that was used to extract bets from Russian bookies. The matches were live-streamed to make the tournament feel real. Meanwhile, four people have been arrested in connection with the competition. Key accused Shoeb Davda rented an agricultural field and prepared a cricket ground to give the event an Indian Premier League (IPL)-like feel. He had hired roughly 20 farm labourers and jobless local youths to play the matches wearing T-shirts of teams that did not exist at all.
According to Mehsana Special Operations Group (SOG) police inspector Bhavesh Rathod, three other accused have been identified as Kolu Mohammad, Sadiq Davda and Mohammad Sakib. Barring Sakib, all others hail from Molipur village in Vadnagar taluka, the cops confirmed. Following a tip-off about a betting racket involving Russian punters, a SOG team in Mehsana raided the cricket ground on the Molipur village outskirts on July 7.
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The police have seized some cricket kits, along with flood lights, a power generator, and video cameras used to stream the matches live, including LED TVs, a laptop and a few radio walkie-talkie sets, which are collectively worth ₹3.21 lakh. A preliminary investigation has revealed that Shoeb Davda was the mastermind behind organising this tournament.
At the same time, Shoeb sued to take bets from Russia-based bookies by streaming the matches live on its YouTube channel. He used to work in Russia and returned to Molipur recently, which happens to be his native place, confirmed the police. "During his stay in Russia, he learnt about cricket betting from one Asif Mohammad, who advised him to organise such fake tournaments. Shoeb first took an agricultural field on rent and turned it into a cricket ground," an official said.
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To give it an authentic feel, the gang installed floodlights on the grounds and video cameras on the ground to provide a better live coverage experience. The official said the tournament was registered as 'Century Hitters 20-20' on CRICHEROES mobile app and that it had been streaming for the last two weeks.
The teams participating in the competition had names like Chennai Fighters, Gandhinagar Challengers and Palanpur Sports Kings. The participating players used to earn ₹400 per match. "While live streaming the matches on their YouTube channel, Asif, sitting in Russia, took bets from bookies. He is still in Russia and is wanted in the case," Rathod said.
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Sakib Mohammad, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, came to Molipur during a match to help Shoeb. He used to be in touch with Asif through the Telegram app, giving instructions using a walkie-talkie to Kolu Mohammad and Sadiq Davda, who were the umpires on the ground. The umpires would then provide the players with instructions, who would bowl and bat accordingly to allow the gang to earn more through bets.
(With inputs from PTI)
