A 19-year-old state-level cricketer in Karnataka was defrauded out of Rs 24 lakh by cyber fraudsters who falsely promised him a spot on the Rajasthan Royals Indian Premier League crew, police mentioned on Thursday.
Rakesh Yadure from Chinchani village in Belagavi district’s Chikkodi taluk impressed selectors throughout a event in Hyderabad in Could 2024, elevating his hopes of an expert cricketing breakthrough.
In accordance with the police, in December 2024, Yadure obtained an Instagram message claiming he had been chosen to play for Rajasthan Royals. The sender requested him to fill out a kind and pay a Rs 2,000 registration charge. Yadure made repeated funds totalling Rs 23.53 lakh between December 22, 2024, and April 19, 2025. The scammers promised him match funds starting from Rs 40,000 to Rs 8 lakh to maintain him engaged.
Regardless of assurances, Yadure by no means obtained a package bag, jersey, or flight tickets. When the fraudsters demanded an extra Rs 3 lakh and did not ship something, he realised he had been conned. The scammers finally blocked him on all communication platforms. Some messages nonetheless got here from one cell phone quantity, however contact principally ceased.
Yadure then filed a criticism with the Belagavi CEN police, which launched an investigation.
Bhimashankar Guled, Superintendent of Police, Belagavi, mentioned Yadure’s father, a safety guard with the Karnataka State Street Transport Company, had raised the Rs 24 lakh regardless of going through vital monetary hardship.
“The fraudsters withdrew the cash instantly. The accounts are empty. Preliminary leads recommend the culprits are primarily based in Rajasthan. We’re deploying our cyber crew there,” he mentioned.
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Yadure hoped the police would get better his cash. “I don’t need anybody to undergo what I underwent,” the dejected cricketer advised reporters.
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