Six Young Cricketers Robbed of ₹63 Lakh in Ranji Trophy Selection Scam

Six young cricketers from Ratnagiri have been robbed of nearly Rs63 lakh on the pretext of an opportunity to become guest players switching to local players in the Ranji Trophy. Malad police have registered a case against two persons, Prashant Kamble and Devesh Upadhyay, for alleged embezzlement and fraud.

While Kamble was said to be the prime suspect in the conspiracy, Upadhyay posed as an assistant to film actor Sonu Sood to make the occasion look attractive.

The investigation revealed that the six cricketers received fake selection letters allegedly from Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram cricket associations. Another complainant in the case is Santosh Chavan, a resident of Kherdi in Chiplun, who runs an event management company and introduced the cricketers to the suspect.

His company has organized political events, wedding events and various sporting events, including cricket matches, over the past fifteen years.

It was during one of these events that Chavan met Kamble where both played cricket for the Ratnagiri team. Later, Kamble was selected for the Mumbai under-23 team, and they became good friends. During this time, Kamble introduced Chavan to Upadhyay, who claimed to be working as an assistant to actor Sonu Sood.

Over time, Upadhyay convinced Chavan of connections with senior officials in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and promised that his players would get an opportunity to play the Ranji Trophy. Chavan trusted him and recommended six young players. After observing their skills, Kamble invited them for net practice in Goregaon.

After detailed discussions, Chavan provided their information and other documents to Kamble. Selection letters were mentioned on the letterhead of the Manipur and Bihar cricket associations. The entire process started in October 2018 and lasted until 2022, involving detailed discussions and money exchange.

However, the players received no information about the actual competition. As per the new BCCI rules, those who were supposed to play as guest players now had to play as local players. Therefore, these six youths were sent to Nagaland, Manipur, Bihar and Mizoram but recalled after seven days.

When Chavan and the six players tried to contact Kamble and Upadhyay, both evaded them with various excuses. Hence, they decided not to play the Ranji Trophy and asked for a refund of the Rs63 lakh paid. Despite Chavan’s efforts, the money was not returned. The transfer slips and selection letters of various state cricket associations were found to be fake.

Realizing that they had been scammed, Chavan filed a complaint with the Malad police last week. After investigation, police registered a case under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document as genuine), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

An investigation is underway and police will question the suspect soon. Police are also investigating whether the duo committed similar crimes elsewhere.

Published: Thursday, June 20, 2024 07:30 IST