Mastermind behind fake IPL matches in Gujarat nabbed: Report

Over the past week or so, news hadbeen circulating about fake IPL being conducted in Gujarat. Now, the culprit behind the fake IPL racket has finally been nabbed. As per the Gujarat police, the mastermind behind the fake IPL is a Russian and not an Indian.

As per a report in the Times of India, a Russian named Efimov is behind the whole scam.Till now, it was believed that Asif Mohammed and Ashok Chaudhary were behind the racket, however, a new twist came into the picture as a Russian citizenby the name of 'Efimov' had plotted the whole scam.It was confirmed via the sleuths of Gujarat's Mehsana police.

For the unversed, the fake IPL-likeleaguewas not only conductedin Molipur but also in other places such asMeerut,Pune, and Jalandhar. A Mehsana police officer said, "The scrutiny of Telegram chats of the accused persons has revealed that Efimov is the mastermind. Asif Mohammed and Ashok Chaudhary were working for Efimov, and they planned the fake IPL in Molipur and other places. Asif is a Pakistani citizen while Ashok is an Indian."

After aprobe commenced with regard to the fake cricket league, a similar racket came into the scene after being reportedby Hapur police in Meerut (in Uttar Pradesh). As per the Mehsana SOG sources, it was revealed that the gang focused on conducting matchesto ensure the regular cash inflow from Russian punters who frequent pubs in Tver, Voronezh and Moscow.

"Shoeb Davda, one of the accused who was caught from Molipur, had lived in Russia for eight months. He had returned to India only recently. Mohammed and Chaudhary had instructed him to organize a T20 cricket tournament to accept bets. It is he who had suggested that the matches be held in Molipur since it was an ideal location to pull off the con," pointed out a police officer.

"They held at least 20 matches in Meerut. In case of any suspicion that their match venue was under scanner, they would leave the venue and choose another. Some matches were also played in Pune and Jalandhar. We are investigating them,"the officer further added.