Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Apr 4: The craze for IPL tickets proved costly for a 25-year-old techie in Bengaluru, who was duped of Rs 1.46 lac by a fraudster posing as a ticket seller on Instagram.

According to a complaint filed at Mahadevapura police station, the victim, a resident of B Narayanapura, was approached by an individual identifying himself as Sumit Biswal, claiming to be a senior supervisor at the ticket counter of M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The accused allegedly assured the victim that he could arrange IPL match tickets along with food coupons and additional benefits. He further convinced the techie to transfer money through multiple UPI transactions from both his own and his mother’s bank accounts.

Despite receiving Rs 1.46 lac, the accused neither delivered the tickets nor refunded the money, police said.

The complainant stated that the accused had promised not only match tickets but also VIP benefits such as food coupons and extra ID cards for friends for the RCB vs CSK match scheduled on Sunday.

To gain trust, the accused allegedly sent an email confirmation and asked the victim to come near gate number 10 of the stadium, claiming that tickets would be delivered within minutes.

Initially, the victim had agreed to purchase two tickets priced at Rs 3,700 each. However, the accused continued to demand additional payments citing refundable security deposits, extra ID cards, and food coupons.

Trusting the claims, the victim made repeated payments, even using his mother’s bank account after exhausting his own transaction limits, ultimately losing around Rs 1.46 lac.

Police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.