JAKARTA - A group of Indian farmers staged a fake Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament so convincingly that they managed to trick Russian spectators into making real bets.
According to a report from the Times of India, the fake game took place on a farm in the village of Gujarat, with 21 farm laborers and unemployed youths who were each paid 400 rupees (IDR 75.000) and was tasked with imitating a “pro” cricketer from a well-known Indian team.
Can't stop laughing. Must hear this "commentator" pic.twitter.com/H4EcTBkJVa
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 11, 2022
Farmers reportedly streamed the tournament live to YouTube for two weeks. Even created a Telegram channel dedicated to the game. That's where they take bets from Russian gamblers located in Tver, Voronezh and Moscow. Even though the IPL cricket competition for the 2022 season was closed at the end of last May.
But thanks to convincing efforts, the peasants still managed to fool their Russian audience, thanks to some clever thinking and makeshift arrangements. They installed five HD cameras and halogen lights around the field, and added sound effects that mimic the sounds of real crowds.
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Players exchanged jerseys belonging to the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, while a "referee" paraded the field on a walkie-talkie. As the game progresses, a man takes on the role of the famous cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. The commenter himself actually admitted it was the group's epic scam on his Twitter account.
Shoeb Davda, one of the masterminds behind the fake tournament, gave instructions to the referees based on the live bets they received from Russia. The umpire will then signal to the batsman and bowler to direct the bets in their favor.
Reported by The Verge, Indian Police have arrested four shrewd fraudsters during the tournament's “quarter-finals”, who just received 300.000 rupees (IDR 56.5 million) in bet money from Russian bettors before the close.
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