Ahmedabad Police Nab Rajasthan Duo for Selling Fake Garba Passes on Instagram

Ahmedabad: Cybercrime police have arrested two men from Rajasthan for allegedly selling counterfeit tickets to popular Garba events in Ahmedabad and elsewhere using the names and logos of around 25 well-known organisers.

The accused, Virendra Singh Rajput, 21, from Jodhpur, and Kishan Singh Rathod, 22, from Sikar, allegedly used an Instagram account named ‘Veer Rajput’ to advertise discounted Garba passes. They also allegedly created fake email IDs resembling those of event organisers to issue counterfeit tickets and collect money from buyers.

The case was registered on Thursday following complaints about fake tickets for the Anant Brahmand event, held on October 14 at a venue on Rancharda-Thol Road. The organisers had started online ticket sales on August 19, with passes priced between Rs 4,000 and Rs 10,000.

On October 12, a buyer approached the organisers through their official Instagram account to verify a ticket purchased for Rs 3,100 from another account. After checking the QR code and confirmation email, the organisers found the ticket to be fake and the email address unauthorised.

The next day, another customer reported receiving a WhatsApp offer for a Rs 6,000 pass at Rs 2,000. The organisers advised the customer against purchasing it and approached the police.

Police are investigating the extent of the alleged fraud and tracing others involved in the racket. DeshGujarat