Craze for IPL tickets turns costly for Bengaluru techie; loses Rs 1.46 lakh after Instagram trap

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

The victim, a resident of B Narayanapura, alleged in a complaint to Mahadevapura Police that an individual claiming to be Sumit Biswal, a senior supervisor for ticket counter at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, promised he could arrange IPL tickets along with food coupons.

He also convinced the victim to transfer money in multiple UPI transactions from his account and his mother’s account.

Despite receiving Rs 1.46 lakh, he neither delivered the tickets nor refunded the amount, according to the complaint.

The complainant said that the accused promised not just match tickets but ‘VIP benefits’ like food coupons and extra ID cards for friends for RCB vs CSK, scheduled for Sunday.

"He asked me to come near the stadium gate number 10, saying someone would deliver the tickets within minutes, and even sent an email confirmation to gain my trust," the complainant told DH.

"Initially, I agreed to buy two tickets for Rs 3,700 each, but he kept asking for more money under various pretexts such as refundable security deposits, additional ID cards and food coupons. Trusting him, I made multiple payments—even using my mother’s bank account after exhausting my own limits—and ended up transferring around Rs 1.46 lakh," he added.