Delhi: In Molipur, a village in Gujarat, a fraudulent cricket tournament was orchestrated in June 2022 to manipulate game outcomes for online betting, leading to multiple arrests.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the staged event was the brainchild of Soyab Davda, a local farmer, and Ashok Chaudhary, an importer of Ayurvedic medicine. They employed amateur players and umpires who were tasked with fixing the matches to ensure predetermined results favorable for bets placed on the online platform 1xBet.
The fake league was eventually uncovered by the police, who found connections to a Russian criminal group. This incident underlines a broader problem with illicit cricket leagues and online gambling, which involves vast sums of money.