In June 2022, a rural town in the Indian state of Gujaratcalled Molipurbecame the scene of one of the most ingenious scams related to the world of sports betting.
In a field of cricket improvisedequipped with halogen lights and cameras, an apparently professional league was taking place. However, what appeared to be a legitimate tournament was actually a carefully orchestrated scheme to exploit online gamblers, mainly in Russia, reported Esquire.
The brain behind this operation was Shoyeb Davdaa man in his thirties, a local resident of Molipur.
Davda rented agricultural land, leveled it and converted it into a rudimentary but functional cricket pitch.
With a mat to imitate the professional bounce of the ball and players outfitted in authentic uniforms and equipment, the show was designed to look as authentic as possible.
They even installed a camera tower and a modest broadcast studio with basic technology.
Despite their professional appearance, the players were not experienced athletes. They were local workers recruited by Davda with the promise of paying them 400 rupees a day, a salary that exceeded their usual income from agricultural work.
Players were attracted by both the pay and the opportunity to appear on “television.” However, they soon discovered that the tournament was not what it seemed.
The referees, communicated by walkie-talkies, gave them specific instructions during the matches: when to score, miss or let themselves be eliminated, all based on a predetermined script.
Live broadcasts of the matches were broadcast on YouTube and were designed to attract online gamblers.
On the other side of the operation, Davda and his partner, Mohammad Saqibthey received orders from a group located in Russia.
As authorities later discovered, these international contacts directed the manipulation of games with the aim of deceiving bettors on illegal betting platforms.
India has a complicated relationship with sports betting. Although cricket is a national passiongambling is largely prohibited, leading to the proliferation of black markets and online platforms.
Starting in 2016, with the arrival of high-speed internet and digital payment platforms, online betting grew exponentially.
International sites like 1xbet y Parimatchoften operating from abroad, began to attract a large number of Indian users.
However, the illegality of these activities also gave rise to numerous match-rigging scandals.
From cases of rigging in the Indian Premier League to local tournaments organized for fraudulent betting, illegal betting on cricket left a deep mark on the sport.
The Molipur case was not an isolated incident. In Uttar Pradeshanother Indian state, authorities uncovered a similar scheme shortly after the operation in Gujarat.
The patterns were the same: live streams manipulated to attract online gamblers. Furthermore, international contacts, such as the mysterious Ashok Chowdhuryan Indian expatriate in Russia, demonstrated the globalization of such crimes.
Chowdhury, later arrested in November 2022, denied direct involvement in the handlingalthough the records of Telegram They clearly linked him to the case.
He argued that his participation was limited to organizing tournaments for monetization on YouTube, ignoring, according to him, the betting aspect.
The Molipur fake cricket league case is a reflection of how the technology and the globalization allowed new forms of organized crimes.
From using streaming platforms to simulate authenticity to international coordination via messaging apps, criminals found ingenious ways to evade legal restrictions.
With many of the key perpetrators operating from abroad and the victims being gamblers who rarely come forward about the illegality of their activity, the path to justice is complicated.
The story of Molipur illustrates the corruption at the lowest levels of cricket, and the deep cracks in sports betting regulation, both in India and beyond. global level.
The scam is a reminder of how sports obsession can be exploited to dark endsleaving entire communities trapped in a game that they never had a chance to win.
