How 4 Men Used ChatGPT And Design Software To Run Fake IPL Ticket Racket

At a time when artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT are increasingly being used for work, academics and other everyday tasks, a gang in Uttar Pradesh has allegedly used the technology to create fake IPL tickets that closely resembled original ones.

Four men from Chhattisgarh have been arrested for allegedly selling fake tickets to IPL 2026 matches. The gang used ChatGPT and graphic designing software CorelDRAW to create counterfeit tickets that looked similar to original IPL ones, police said.

The accused have been identified as Rajendra Choudhary, Vishwajeet Sahu, Shrikant Borkar and Nutan Kumar Sahu, all residents of Durg district in Chhattisgarh. The police also said the group earlier tried to sell fake IPL tickets outside Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium but failed after buyers noticed mismatches in the ticket quality and barcode details.

Police said these men used photos of genuine IPL tickets available on social media platforms and edited them with the help of ChatGPT to match ticket dimensions and layouts.

After gathering information about paper quality and ticket design, they allegedly used CorelDRAW to print fake tickets and passes. Investigators believe the group had been operating in multiple cities during major IPL matches.

The matter came to light during the recent IPL match which took place between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. The accused allegedly sold fake tickets to unsuspecting fans.

One of the victims, Pradeep Singh from Orai, reportedly bought a fake ticket for Rs 1,000 from them. But when he tried to enter the stadium, the verification team found issues with the ticket barcode and stopped him. Pradeep then informed officials about the men who had sold him the ticket. Police later tracked down the accused with the help of the UPI payment made during the transaction.

“Four smartphones, one laptop, 15 fake IPL tickets, GSM paper sheets, two paper cutters, a Ritz car that was used to travel to Lucknow, a bank passbook, four ATM cards, three PAN cards and two Aadhaar cards have been recovered from them,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Kumar Anand said.

Police investigation revealed that one of the accused, Nutan Kumar Sahu, is a diploma holder while Vishwajeet Sahu studied till intermediate level and had reportedly learned fake ticket designing through YouTube tutorials. Shrikant Borkar, who police described as the mastermind, is a graduate and works in car washing and design-related work. Rajendra Choudhary also worked in the car washing business.

According to police, the gang became active mainly during high-profile IPL matches where ticket demand was extremely high which made it easier to sell fake tickets to desperate fans outside stadiums.

(With inputs from Vivek Shahi)