Two men have been arrested for allegedly selling 686 fake passes for Navratri garba events across Ahmedabad and collecting around ₹8 lakh from unsuspecting buyers, the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch said on Monday. Police said the main accused allegedly used ChatGPT and artificial intelligence tools to create convincing counterfeit passes, and paid Instagram advertisements to reach buyers across the city.
The accused have been 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. Both are residents of Rajasthan and had previously worked at events, including wedding functions. They were arrested in Rajasthan's Sikar district following a technical investigation.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Dr Lavina Sinha, the main accused allegedly used ChatGPT and AI to prepare fake passes using information and images taken from the official websites and social media pages of garba organisers. The accused allegedly created fake email addresses resembling those of event organisers and sent the counterfeit passes to customers by email, while also communicating with buyers through WhatsApp to establish trust. The passes carried booking IDs, reference numbers and QR codes, so their invalidity often became apparent only when customers arrived at the venues and were denied entry.
Police said the Instagram account's posts had been viewed by around 40,000 people in Ahmedabad. The accused allegedly offered tickets at steep discounts — passes for Anant Experience were advertised for around ₹1,500 against a stated price of ₹5,000, and Mandapam passes for ₹500–600. In total, police said, 686 passes were sold across 13 events: 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.
A complaint was registered with the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station on October 16, after which investigators examined the Instagram account, WhatsApp number, email accounts and financial transactions linked to the alleged fraud. Police said the proceeds were deposited into a personal HDFC Bank account and another account allegedly obtained for use in the operation, and were reportedly withdrawn soon after being received or transferred through other accounts; the exact amount recovered is still being examined.
Sinha said the main accused had allegedly first engaged in similar misconduct in August while working at the Pink Butterfly garba event, where he was accused of defrauding the event of around ₹35,000 through passes; he reportedly returned the money and no formal complaint was filed in that instance. He 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, and allegedly continued selling fake passes before leaving Ahmedabad for Rajasthan. Police said complaints linked to the case have also been identified at Paldi and Bopal police stations and through the national cybercrime helpline.
The Cyber Crime Branch urged customers to buy passes only through organisers' verified websites, official social media pages or authorised ticketing applications, to be wary of unusually low prices, and to verify special discounts directly with organisers before paying. Organisers were also asked to report suspected counterfeit ticket sales promptly. Police said digital evidence, social media accounts, email correspondence, WhatsApp chats and financial transactions are still being examined to establish the full extent of the alleged fraud. All allegations are yet to be proven in court.
Sources: IANS, Nation Press, The420.