- Brazil probes Supreme Court bomb blasts as 'terrorist act'
- Sotheby's to pay $6.25 mln in tax fraud case
- McIlroy shares Dubai lead with Ballesteros mark in sight
- Lebanon army redeployment in south crucial to war solution: UN peacekeeping chief
- US stocks wobble as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Trump fills out cabinet as divisive picks shock Washington
- Son hits 50th South Korea goal in win, Australia-Saudi stalemate
- BHP, Vale cleared by Brazil court over 2015 dam disaster
- Satirical US outlet The Onion buys conspiracy site Infowars
- Scotland must emulate Croatia's 'conveyor belt of talent': Clarke
- Legal migration to OECD reaches new record in 2023
- Robinson edges Benazzi to succeed Beaumont as head of World Rugby
- India's capital shuts all primary schools due to smog
- Central bank independence 'fundamental' for good policy: Fed official
- Fritz beats De Minaur to eye ATP Finals last four, Sinner through
- Doris expecting a 'proper test' against Argentina
- Russia's exiled opposition hopes for rebirth with Berlin rally
- EU fines Meta $840 million for 'abusive' Facebook ad practices
- Springboks boss Erasmus expects England to 'play for Borthwick'
- Before Leicester, Ranieri's brush with glory with his beloved Roma
- Stock markets rise as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Australian Robinson edges Benazzi to head World Rugby
- US director Haynes to lead Berlinale 2025 jury
- Iran tells UN nuclear chief willing to resolve 'ambiguities'
- Coach owner Tapestry calls off Capri bid on regulatory blocks
- UK government announces ban on new coal mines
- US ski star Lindsey Vonn, 40, to attempt competitive return
- Ranieri comes out of retirement to lead hometown club Roma
- England recall Steward and Van Poortvliet for South Africa Test
- EU fines Meta 798 mn euros for Facebook ad antitrust breach
- Australian Brett Robinson graduates to rugby's top post
- Brazil looking for motive after attempted Supreme Court bombing
- Hotels on Booking.com can offer better rates elsewhere: EU
- EU deforestation ban in chaos as parliament loosens rules
- Springboks make 12 changes to team for England clash
- All Blacks fly-half Barrett returns from concussion against France
- UEFA launches investigation into Premier League referee Coote
- Monaco Formula One GP extended until 2031
- Climate finance: who is being asked to pay what at COP29?
- 'Terrible' AI has given tech an existential headache: activist
- COP29 host tries to calm waters after diplomatic turmoil
- Late drama as Saudis hold Australia in World Cup qualifier
- Stock markets diverge as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Israel warfare methods 'consistent with genocide': UN committee
- 'In-form leader' Fickou starts for France against New Zealand
- Iran activist kills himself after demanding release of prisoners
- Russia shuts Moscow's famed gulag museum
- London mayor says Trump attacks due to his ethnicity and religion
- Japan expect tough Indonesia test with World Cup spot in reach
- Uganda TikToker convicted for insulting president
RBGPF | -1.59% | 59.25 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.1% | 24.635 | $ | |
BCC | -1.41% | 140.57 | $ | |
BCE | -0.5% | 27.075 | $ | |
NGG | 0.77% | 62.605 | $ | |
RIO | -0.28% | 60.449 | $ | |
RELX | 0.12% | 46.175 | $ | |
GSK | -0.16% | 35.055 | $ | |
BTI | 0.77% | 35.695 | $ | |
JRI | -0.08% | 13.23 | $ | |
RYCEF | -4.25% | 6.82 | $ | |
SCS | -1.13% | 13.22 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.14% | 24.765 | $ | |
VOD | -0.23% | 8.73 | $ | |
BP | 1.31% | 28.95 | $ | |
AZN | 0.68% | 65.735 | $ |
The Sting redux: Fake IPL set up to dupe Russian punters
A gang of conmen set up a fake Indian Premier League tournament with farm labourers acting as players to dupe Russian punters in a betting scam reminiscent of the Oscar-winning 1973 movie "The Sting".
The grifters managed to reach the quarterfinal stage of their so-called "Indian Premier Cricket League" before the racket was busted by Indian police.
The tournament began three weeks after the actual IPL concluded in May, according to police, but that proved no hindrance to the gang, who they said leased a remote farm in the western state of Gujarat.
They 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.
The gang hired labourers and unemployed youths for 400 rupees ($5) per game and broadcast the matches live over a YouTube channel called "IPL".
Players took turns to wear jerseys of the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, police said, acting on the instructions of the Russia-based mastermind.
Crowd noise sound effects were downloaded from the internet and a speaker with a knack for mimicking one of IPL's real Indian commentators was used to make the tournament appear authentic.
At the same time the cameraman made sure that the entire ground was not shown, beaming close-ups of the players instead.
Russian punters were lured into betting their rubles on a Telegram channel set up by the gang, who would then alert the fake umpire on the pitch using walkie-talkies.
The supposed official "would signal the bowler and batsman to hit a six, four or get out," Rathod added.
A "quarter-final" match was being played "when we got a tip-off and we busted the racket," said Rathod.
The accused had received a first instalment of more than 300,000 rupees (nearly $4,000) from the punters in Russia, Rathod said.
The scheme has echoes of "The Sting", the 1973 movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, in which a group of con artists set up a fake betting operation in order to defraud a gangster.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
J.Fankhauser--BTB