TNN Lucknow: A Chhattisgarh gang, comprising Class XII-pass designers and small-time businessmen, allegedly used AI chatbots, graphic designing software and social media platforms to run an inter-state fake IPL ticket racket outside the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. The racket was busted on Thursday. A joint operation by the Cyber Cell and Sushant Golf City police led to the arrest of four accused who allegedly prepared counterfeit IPL tickets that closely resembled genuine entry passes and sold them to unsuspecting cricket fans at discounted rates. The accused were identified as Shrikant Borkar (30), Nutan Kumar Sahu (28), Rajendra Chaudhary (29) and Vishwajeet Sahu (22), all residents of Durg district in Chhattisgarh. Additional DCP, South Zone, Vasant Kumar, who led the probe, said that Vishwajeet Sahu, a Class XII-pass 2D/3D designer, allegedly played the key role in preparing the fake IPL tickets. “During interrogation, he told police that he had learned graphic and elevation designing through YouTube tutorials and coaching classes. Investigators said he used CorelDRAW software to recreate IPL tickets after downloading photographs of original passes from Facebook, Instagram and YouTube,” said Kumar. ADCP Kumar revealed that the gang even used ChatGPT to gather technical details related to ticket dimensions, paper quality and formatting so that the fake passes could resemble original IPL tickets as closely as possible. According to police, the gang initially tested its operation in Delhi during IPL matches at Arun Jaitley Stadium on May 4. However, the attempt failed because the ticket quality and barcode details did not properly match the original passes. The racket was exposed after Jalaun resident Pradeep Singh approached police alleging that he had purchased two IPL tickets outside the stadium and transferred Rs 1,000 through UPI, only to later discover at the entry gate that the tickets were fake. Police recovered fake IPL tickets, mobile phones, digital transaction records and the vehicle used in the operation from the accused.
