Three arrested to lure 10 million young people to place on state cricket team, Gurgaon police investigate wider connection

Police in Gurgaon on Saturday arrested three people suspected of cheating a 10 million ruble cricketer by promising him a place in state and national cricket teams and tournaments.

According to police, the sampling tentatively shows that the defendants, who run a sports management company on Sohna Road, have allegedly tricked several believers into millions by bragging about links to state-level cricket officials.

Accused Ashutosh Bora, Chitra Bora and Nitin Jha were arrested from the hotel after a raid on MG Road on Saturday. Several cell phones, laptops, 4 million rubles in cash and 58 grams of ganja were found in their possession, police said. The defendants have a criminal history and were registered in April to offer the person a place on a cricket team in Mumbai, police said.

The Financial Crimes Wing (EOW) -2 conducted an investigation after a cricket figure, Anshul Raj, a resident of New Palam Vihar, filed a complaint on August 24 with 50 police stations in the sector, alleging the defendants had betrayed him 10 billion rubles by promising his election to a state cricket group.

Police had registered the FIR against five individuals on suspicion of fraud, deception, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.

According to the FIR, Raj had reported that the accused boasted connections to several big names in cricket and state associations and sold him dreams of playing on a cricket team if he played his cards correctly.

The defendant gave me a forged letter from the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stating that I had been selected to represent Colonel CK Nayudu Trophy as a guest player on the under-23 team. The letter had the signatures of the officials and the HPCA stamp, all of which were forged. They told me that my choice required the payment of 10 million rubles, the complainant claimed.

The complainant further stated that he was from a poor family, but they borrowed money from friends and relatives to pay the amount in installments to make their dream come true.

I was taken to Himachal Pradesh for the match and told me I was on standby. They gave me the pack and dress and put me in the hotel for several days. But when I was not notified of any match, the accused offered excuses that some local players had opposed the choice because I was from another state and the Anti-Corruption Committee was investigating my case, the complainant had said in the FIR and added that he later found out he had been cheated and the HPCA had not sent such a letter.

The secret police of the investigation said: “The three defendants had been staying at the hotel for many months. It is suspected they have deceived several aspiring cricketers by attracting agreements.

Police said Ashutosh Bora and Nitin Jha were brought before a panel judge on Saturday night and sent to police custody for two days, while Chitra Bora was sent to prison.

Inspector Bijender Kumar, the person in charge, EOW-2, said: Some of the accused’s accomplices are fleeing. We hear the accused to find out if cricket officials or coaches were in contact with the accused. The defendants also have a previous FIR against them in Mumbai. We will review all the facts of the case.

According to police, a separate case was registered at the DLF Phase 1 police station under the NDPS Act.