Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Gujarat: Fake T20 cricket league to take bets from Russian bookies busted; 4 held

The police seized cricket kits, flood lights, power generator and video cameras used for live streaming the matches, LED TVs, a laptop and some radio walkie-talkie sets.

Gujarat: Fake T20 cricket league to take bets from Russian bookies busted; 4 held

Police have busted a gang conducting a fake T20 cricket tournament here in Gujarat to take bets from Russian bookies by live-streaming the matches and arrested four of its members, an official said on Monday.

To create an impression of an Indian Premier League (IPL)-like major tournament, key accused Shoeb Davda prepared a cricket ground on a rented agricultural field and hired around 20 farm labourers and unemployed local youth to play the game wearing T-shirts of non-existent teams, Mehsana Special Operations Group (SOG) police inspector Bhavesh Rathod said.


The other three accused have been identified as Kolu Mohammad, Sadiq Davda and Mohammad Sakib.

Except for Sakib, all others are residents of Molipur village in Vadnagar taluka, the police said.

Based on a specific tip-off about a cricket betting racket involving Russian punters, a Mehsana SOG team raided a recently prepared cricket ground on the outskirts of Molipur village on July 7.

The police seized cricket kits, flood lights, power generator and video cameras used for live streaming the matches, LED TVs, a laptop, and some radio walkie-talkie sets.

A primary investigation revealed it was Shoeb Davda who came up with the idea of organising the IPL-like tournament here and taking bets from Russia-based bookies by telecasting the matches live on their YouTube channel, the official said.

Shoeb used to work in Russia and recently returned to his native place Molipur, he said.

"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," the official said.

To make it look authentic, the gang installed flood lights and video cameras on the ground for better live coverage and registered the tournament as 'Century Hitters 20-20' on CRICHEROES mobile app and started the live telecast two weeks ago, he said.

The fake teams in the tournament were given names like Chennai Fighters, Gandhinagar Challengers and Palanpur Sports Kings.

To play T20 cricket matches, Shoeb had hired around 20 farm labourers and local youth who would get Rs 400 ($5USD) per match, he said.

"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.

During a match, Sakib Mohammad, who is originally from Uttar Pradesh and came to Molipur to help Shoeb, used to be in touch with Asif through the Telegram app and gave instructions using a walkie-talkie to Kolu Mohammad and Sadiq Davda, who acted as umpires on the ground, he said.

The umpires would then pass on the instructions to players, who would bowl a slow ball or the batsman would intentionally get out to help the gang in earning more through bets, he added.

More For You

UK Traveller Dies from Rabies After Dog Exposure in Morocco

Rabies causes a serious infection of the brain and nervous system in humans

iStock

UK woman dies from rabies after Morocco dog exposure

A woman from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has died after contracting rabies following contact with a stray dog while on holiday in Morocco, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed.

The agency stated that the woman became infected during her trip to the North African country. There is no documented evidence of rabies spreading between humans, so the wider public is not considered at risk.

Keep ReadingShow less
Families seek answers as Air India crash probe begins

Mourners at the funeral of BJP leader Vijay Rupani, who was among the victims of the Air India crash, in Ahmedabad

Families seek answers as Air India crash probe begins

AROUND 200 passengers on the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick have been identified, authorities in the Indian state of Gujarat said, as grieving families held the last rites of their loved ones following the crash last Thursday (12).

Hundreds of lives were changed in an instant when the London-bound plane slammed into a residential area of Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board and at least 38 on the ground.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Asim Munir

Security personnel stand beside a poster of Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, during a rally to express solidarity with Pakistan's armed forces, in Islamabad on May 14, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump to host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch at White House

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump will host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House on Wednesday.

“The president has lunch with the chief of army staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” an advisory issued by the White House said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian schools among finalists for world’s best school prizes

Photo for representation (iStock)

Indian schools among finalists for world’s best school prizes

FOUR Indian schools were on Wednesday (18) named among the top 10 finalists across different categories for the annual world's best school prizes, organised in the UK to celebrate schools' enormous contribution to society's progress.

Schools from Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were unveiled as contenders for membership of the Best School to Work programme to help schools attract and retain the best teachers. The worldwide winners across categories will be announced in October.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi-Carney

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney greets Indian prime minister Narendra Modi before a group photo during the G7 Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Getty

India and Canada agree to return ambassadors amid effort to reset relations

INDIA and Canada have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties by returning ambassadors to each other’s capitals, aiming to move past a dispute triggered by the killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada last year.

The announcement came as Canadian prime minister Mark Carney welcomed Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in the Canadian Rockies. Carney, who took office in March, invited Modi to the summit as a guest, continuing India's regular participation at G7 gatherings.

Keep ReadingShow less