A shocking case has come to light in Belagavi, where a young cricketer was defrauded of ₹23.51 lakh under the false promise of being selected to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals team.
A 19 year old crickerter, a resident of Chinchali village in Chikkodi Taluk, is the victim of this elaborate scam. His father, who works in NWKRTC, arranged the money by taking loans and selling family gold.
Between November 2024 and April 2025, the fraudsters collected money from the family more than 100 times, with amounts ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹55,000 per transaction. The payments were made through PhonePe, Google Pay, and bank transfers. The scammers repeatedly asked for money citing various excuses such as form submissions and photo verifications.
When suspicion grew that this was a fraudulent operation, the victim and his father lodged a formal complaint at the CEN Police Station in Belagavi on Wednesday.
How the Scam Unfolded:
In May 2024, the victim had participated in selection trials for the Rising Bharat Cricket League (RBCL) held in Hyderabad. His all-round performance had caught the attention of several attendees.
Later, the scammers contacted the victim via Instagram, praising his cricketing skills and claiming that politics influenced selection decisions. They assured him that they could get him placed in the Rajasthan Royals team if he cooperated with them.
They created further credibility by adding him to a WhatsApp group named “Association of Cricket.” Fake forms were sent via WhatsApp, and the victim was asked to fill and return them. The scammers repeatedly demanded money, falsely claiming that selection officials were asking for bribes and that his application was being delayed due to pending payments.
