Bengaluru: A 25-year-old tech professional in Bengaluru was allegedly duped of Rs 1.46 lakh by a fraudster posing as an IPL ticket seller on Instagram, highlighting rising cases of online ticket scams.
According to a complaint filed at Mahadevapura Police Station, the victim, a resident of B Narayanapura, was approached by a person identifying himself as Sumit Biswal, who claimed to be a senior supervisor at the ticket counter of M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The accused allegedly promised to arrange tickets along with “VIP benefits” such as food coupons and additional ID cards for friends for the high-profile Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings.
The complainant said he initially agreed to purchase two tickets for Rs 3,700 each. However, the fraudster continued demanding additional payments under various pretexts, including refundable security deposits, extra passes and food coupons.
“Initially, I agreed to buy two tickets, but he kept asking for more money. Trusting him, I made multiple payments, even using my mother’s account after exhausting my own limits, and ended up transferring around Rs 1.46 lakh,” the victim stated.
To build credibility, the accused reportedly sent an email confirmation and asked the victim to come near Gate No. 10 of the stadium, assuring that tickets would be delivered within minutes. However, after receiving the money, the accused neither provided the tickets nor refunded the amount.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident. Authorities have urged citizens to exercise caution while purchasing tickets online and to rely only on official platforms to avoid falling prey to such frauds.
