Ahmedabad: Two men have been arrested for allegedly selling 686 fake passes for Navratri garba events across Ahmedabad and collecting around Rs eight lakh from unsuspecting customers, with the main accused using ChatGPT to create convincing counterfeit passes and paid Instagram advertisements to reach potential buyers, the city Cyber Crime Branch said on Monday.
The accused, identified as Virendra Singh Rathod, 21, who allegedly operated an Instagram account under the user ID ‘veer.rajjputtt’, and his associate Kishan Singh Rathod, 22, were arrested in Rajasthan’s Sikar district following a technical investigation.
“Both are residents of Rajasthan and had previously worked at events,” police said.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Dr Lavina Sinha, the accused advertised discounted tickets for several prominent garba events in Ahmedabad through Instagram.
They allegedly used Meta’s paid advertising facility to promote posts to targeted audiences in the city, increasing their reach among people looking to buy passes during Navratri.
“The main accused is Virendra Singh Rathod, who used the Instagram identity Veer Rajput. He used ChatGPT and artificial intelligence to prepare fake passes using information and images taken from the official websites and social media pages of garba organisers,” Sinha told IANS.
The accused allegedly created fake email addresses resembling those of event organisers and sent the counterfeit passes to customers by email.
They also communicated with buyers through WhatsApp to establish trust. The passes carried booking IDs, reference numbers and QR codes and were designed to be checked at the venue, meaning their invalidity often became apparent only when customers arrived at the events.
Police said the Instagram account’s posts had been viewed by around 40,000 people in Ahmedabad.
The accused allegedly offered tickets at substantially reduced prices, including passes for Anant Experience advertised for around Rs 1,500 against a stated price of Rs 5,000, and Mandapam passes for Rs 500–600.
The case came to light after customers discovered that their passes were invalid at the venues.
A complaint was registered with the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station on October 16, following which investigators examined the Instagram account, WhatsApp number, email accounts and financial transactions linked to the alleged fraud.
Sinha said the accused had been operating the scheme for about a month, although the main accused had allegedly first engaged in similar misconduct in August while working at the Pink Butterfly garba event.
He was accused of defrauding the event of around Rs 35,000 through passes. He reportedly returned the money, and no formal complaint was filed in that instance.
“After that, he realised that money could be made by selling fake passes and continued the activity,” Sinha said.
The two accused are relatives and had worked at events, including wedding functions. The main accused had studied business administration in Ahmedabad, while his associate was a science graduate, according to the police account.
Investigators said the associate assisted him, while Virendra was the principal accused.
Police said the proceeds were deposited into a personal HDFC Bank account and another account allegedly obtained for use in the operation.
The money was reportedly withdrawn soon after being received or transferred through other accounts. The exact amount recovered and the balance remaining in the accounts are still being examined.
The main accused had also been booked by Santej police in Gandhinagar district on October 3 in a separate case involving alleged cheating and the use of forged documents.
Despite that case, he allegedly continued selling fake passes before leaving Ahmedabad for Rajasthan.
Police said he had moved from Jodhpur and was traced to Sikar through technical analysis after an initial search at his residence failed to locate him.
According to the Cyber Crime Branch, the alleged sales covered 13 event names: After 11:59, Mandapam, Chowk Na Garba, Offbeat, Vanratri, Rang Morlo, Ratladi, EMS Ratri, Inner Circle, Pancham Na Garba, Anant Experience, Efeston and Safed Parinde. In total, 686 passes were sold.
The investigation has also identified complaints or reports linked to Paldi and Bopal police stations, a separate case registered by Santej police and additional complaints submitted through the national cybercrime helpline.
Police said they are examining digital evidence, social media accounts, email correspondence, WhatsApp chats and financial transactions to establish the full extent of the alleged fraud.
Sinha urged customers to buy passes only through organisers’ verified websites, official social media pages or authorised ticketing applications.
She cautioned people against offers promising unusually low prices and advised them to verify special discounts directly with organisers before making payments.
“People should check whether the offer is advertised on the organiser’s official page and purchase passes only through authorised channels,” she said.
She also urged event organisers to report suspected counterfeit ticket sales to the police promptly so that action could be taken before more customers were affected.
–IANS–
