The Special Operation Groups of Mehsana Police raided the ground to uncover the reality of a fake cricket tournament. The Live Telecast of the fake T20 match on Youtube depicted the umpire handing over his walkie-talkie and running for his life. A few minutes after the cops arrived, the camera went blurry, shaky, and blank.
According to Mehsana Police, a gang duped bettors in Russia by running a fake cricket match. They hired players for ₹400 per day and conducted tournaments on farmland in Molipur of Vadnagar. Moreover, they arranged speakers for blaring noise.
The gang also hired a commentator to imitate Harsha Bhogle.
The umpire guided the players on the betting status through the information he received on his walkie-talkie. However, everything about the tournament, including the match, setting, players, umpires, and audience, was a fixed case.
Mehsana Police has taken four people into custody, Soeb Davda, Mahmad Saqib Saifi, Mahmad Abu Bakar Kolu and Sadiq Davda, residents of Molipur in Vadnagar. They all ran an elaborate scam wherein they made tons of money through the bet. Further, the cops have charged them with Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code for criminal conspiracy, the IT Act and the prevention of Gambling Act.
VN Rathod, Police Sub-Inspector, Mensana SOG, informed in his official statement that the gang used a white coloured mat as the pitch. Moreover, the telecast was via a single camera in a small cabin and 90° to the ground. The police also found two men sitting with two LED screens, showing the scores of made-up teams, Chennai Fighters and Gandhinagar Challengers.
According to the cops, Soeb Davda rounded up gully cricket players from the neighbourhood to join his charade. Soeb got in touch with Asif Mahmad from Russia via telegram. Later, Mahmad Saqib Saif coordinated with Asif Mahmad of Russia for the live betting rates.
Achal Tyagi, Superintendent of Police, Mehsana, mentioned that Asif was the mastermind behind the entire scam. The cops have also charged Asif under the same sections. As per the initial probe, the gang received bets from Tver and Moscow in Russia.
Asif gave three to four lakhs to the four accused and asked them to look for a ground, hire players, and buy pieces of equipment. Asif also promised them ₹70,000 per month. According to Tyagi, the gang hired 24 players from nearby localities of Vadnagar. They also ordered different jerseys for five teams. The fake tournament continued for 15 days.
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