Gujarat Police arrests four in the fake IPL case, betting racket was controlled from Russia

Four people have been detained in connection with the busting of a massive betting ring operating out of Russia in Gujarat’s Mehsana district. Betting was conducted on fictitious cricket matches that were broadcast online. The matches were held in Gujarat, but according to the police, Russia was in charge of the entire operation.

There are currently operations underway to apprehend a man from Russia who has been listed as wanted. The Times of India had earlier reported about the scam, of how locals of the village acted as players of the Indian Premier League, and aired the match live on YouTube with a fake commentator and fake crowd cheering noises in order to make it look real and attract wagers from the Russians.

The Vadnagar village in the Vadnagar Tehsil is home to a cricket betting operation, according to information provided to the Mehsana district SOG Team. When the police arrived at the scene to conduct a raid, they were shocked to discover that the area was farmland. To host a cricket match, Dawda Shoyeb Abdulmjeed, a native of the Molipur village, leased some farmland next to a local cemetery. On the farmland, a field and a pitch were created, and even the field was leased.

In connection to the case, the police officials have arrested three more accused apart from Abdulmjeed. They have detained Sefi Mahamad Saqib Riyazuddin (Meerut), Koli Mahamad Abubakar (Molipur), Koli Mahamad Abubakar (Molipur) and Davda Sadiq Abudlmajeed (Molipur). Asif Mohammad, who is now in Russia, has been listed by the police as a wanted person.

Players played with IPL jerseys

The planners made every effort to make the match played on the prepared farmland field appear real and prestigious, just like the IPL. The team players received T-shirts similar to those used in IPL games, and there were cameras set up and even plans for running commentary. Players from the nearby villages were brought in for the bouts held in Molipur. These athletes received a match fee of Rs. 400.

Gandhinagar Eleven and Chennai Tigers were the participating teams’ names. Despite the fact that matches took place in the village of Molipur, Russia controlled and ran the racket. The racket was being managed by a man named Asif Mohammad in Russia. Even though the cricket matches were being played on the ground in Gujarat, Russia was in charge of all operations.

Asif used to indicate the match official while seated in Russia, and then a wicket would fall to the ground. The runs were scored based upon his orders. A walkie-talkie was provided to the umpire so that he could hear the communication from Russia in real-time. The matches were broadcast live on Crick Hero and YouTube.

This made it easier for the accused to connect with potential gamblers. When the umpire was instructed to act to grant a run or declare a batter out through a walkie-talkie, people used to wager on matches they saw on the YouTube channel Crick Hero.