Bowled over by scam: Karnataka cricketer cheated out of Rs 24 lakh in fake IPL deal

A 19-year-old aspiring cricketer from Chinchani village in Karnataka’s Belagavi district has fallen victim to a shocking scam, losing nearly ₹24 lakh (approximately BDT 34 lakh) to fraudsters who lured him with the false promise of a spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals.

The victim, Rakesh Yadav, a state-level player, reportedly caught attention with a strong performance in a Hyderabad tournament in May last year. Following this, scammers posing as Rajasthan Royals officials contacted him via Instagram and claimed he had been selected to join the team. They initially asked for a ₹2,000 registration fee.

Trusting the offer, Rakesh transferred the money. But the demands continued—under the pretense of covering match fees, jerseys, official kits, and flight tickets. From December last year to April this year, Rakesh transferred a total of ₹23.53 lakh to various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.

His suspicions were aroused when the scammers demanded an additional ₹3 lakh. When he began questioning them, all lines of communication were abruptly blocked. Realizing he had been conned, Rakesh filed a formal complaint at the Belagavi Central Police Station.

Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled said the incident was particularly disheartening as Rakesh’s family comes from a modest background. His father is a security guard for the State Road Transport Corporation, and the family had made tremendous sacrifices to support Rakesh’s dreams.

The police suspect the perpetrators are based in Rajasthan and have deployed a cyber crime team to investigate the case further. The matter is currently under active investigation.

This incident is a stark reminder of the growing number of cyber frauds targeting young athletes and job seekers, and highlights the urgent need for increased awareness and digital vigilance.