A young cricketer’s family lost over ₹24 lakh to cyber fraudsters who falsely promised to include him a IPL team.
Fraudsters posing to be agents of the IPL Team Rajasthan Royals, contacted Rakesh Yadure (19), an aspiring cricketer of Chinchani village near Chikkodi in Belagavi district. He received messages on Instagram, praising his skills and offering him a place in the IPL team.
This followed his performance in a State-level cricket match held in Hyderabad in May 2024. The message made him believe that cricket committee selectors were present during the Hyderabad tournament. Rakesh got this message from a handle named ‘Sushant_srivastava1’, four months after the tournament. But he believed it anyway. It said: “We will add you to the Rajasthan team. Fill out this application form and send 2,000 rupees.” Rakesh filled out the form.
By April 19, 2025, the fraudsters made his family transfer ₹23,53,550 online. They promised him match fees of ₹4.8 lakh per match. The fraudsters vanished without a trace, after taking the money. Rakesh’s father is a security guard in the KSRTC. He took loans from various people to pay up. The family approached the police later. A case has been registered at the district cyber crime police station and investigations are on.
SP Bheemashankar S Guled has warned the people not to fall prey to such frauds. “No one should fall victim to the network of fraudulent messages that come online.”
Published – May 21, 2025 05:22 pm IST
