43-yr-old Bengaluru woman gets duped of ₹86,000 while booking tickets for IPL: Report

The woman wanted to book around 20 tickets for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) match that was scheduled last week.

Published on: Apr 5, 2024, 11:12:52 IST

By Yamini C S

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A 43-year-old woman from Bengaluru fell prey to a scam, losing more than ₹86,000 while trying to book tickets for an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match. The woman wanted to book around 20 tickets for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) match that was scheduled last week.

The Bengaluru woman opted to book tickets for the RCB vs KKR IPL match from a Facebook page called “IPL Cricket Ticket”. (IPL)

She opted to book them from a Facebook page, and is said to have transferred thousands of rupees in a series of transactions to the scammer before realising she was not going to get the tickets after all, a report said.

The woman, identity unknown, approached the police shortly after the ordeal, who registered a complaint under two sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), relating to cheating by personation and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.

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Here's how it went down:

The woman called a number that was listed on a Facebook page called “IPL Cricket Ticket”. The scammer on the other end claimed to sell IPL tickets and asked her to transfer an advance booking amount of ₹8,000, which she did.

The man then asked her for another ₹11,000, which she again sent to his account. He then asked her to transfer another ₹8,000 to a different account, which had the name ‘Abdul Kalam’ under it. Suspecting no foul play, the woman obliged again.

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After these three transactions, the scammer further requested amounts of ₹14,999 and ₹21,000 to be sent separately. While the woman sent the ₹14,999, she hesitated before transferring the ₹21,000 and asked him for the tickets, or that he refund the amounts sent.

Citing a technical glitch, the man told her he had not received the payment, and assured her that he would refund her money afterwards.

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After this, the scammer requested an extra ₹16,000, which the woman denied and asked for the tickets, or a refund. To this, he said she would not get the tickets if she did not make the payment. Realising that she had been duped, the woman warned him that she would go to the police if her money was not sent back.

Undeterred, the man told her to “go ahead and file a complaint” and hung up the phone on her. The woman lodged a complaint with the police the day after the incident.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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