Fake Garba Passes for 25 Ahmedabad Events Advertised on Instagram, Cybercrime Probe Finds Five Potential Victims

An Instagram account allegedly selling fake passes for 25 major Garba events has come under investigation by Ahmedabad Crime Branch’s Cyber Cell after an event management company reported the misuse of its name and logo to dupe customers.

Preliminary investigation suggests that around five people in Ahmedabad may have been cheated in the alleged ticket fraud. The suspect is believed to be from outside Gujarat, and police are investigating the account’s operator and the transactions.

The account, operating under the handle ‘veer.rajjputtt’, allegedly used the name and logo of Ahmedabad Experience Exchange, organiser of the ‘Anant Brahmand’ Garba event, to advertise discounted passes.

25 Garba Events Listed in Instagram Post

An Instagram post titled ‘Navratri Garba Passes Available’ listed around 25 events and offered passes at “good prices”, with special rates for bulk orders.

The Instagram post listed the following 25 Garba events as offering passes at discounted rates:

The post also displayed the names of ticketing platforms, including Black Scene, Showmates, District by Zomato and BookShow, potentially making the offers appear legitimate. The authenticity of the advertised passes and the alleged unauthorised use of event names remain under investigation.

Fake Anant Brahmand Pass Sold for ₹3,100

The alleged fraud came to light on October 12, when a person identified as Om Solanki contacted the company’s official Instagram account, ‘anant.experience’, and alerted its representatives to the posts by ‘veer.rajjputtt’.

According to the complaint filed by company manager Kinjan Kumar Patel, 41, he contacted the seller and purchased a purported Anant Brahmand pass for ₹3,100 to verify its authenticity.

The seller allegedly claimed to have spoken to the company’s proprietor, Vedant, and shared a screenshot of the ticket bearing a QR code, along with a confirmation email.

However, the company found that the ticket was fake, according to the complaint. Patel also said the confirmation email had come from ‘anantexperience@gmail.com’, an email address not authorised by the company.

The company had organised its Anant Brahmand-themed Garba event on October 14 at its venue near Sancharda village on Thol Road. Online ticket sales had begun on August 19 through its official website, with prices ranging from ₹4,000 to ₹10,000.

Customer Warned Against Discounted WhatsApp Offer

The complaint also cited another instance in which a prospective customer, Ghanshyam Rathod, contacted Patel on October 13 after receiving a WhatsApp offer for a discounted Garba pass from a person using mobile number 9954062808.

Rathod shared a screenshot of the conversation, following which Patel advised him against purchasing the ticket.

The company had earlier warned customers to buy passes only through its official website and social media accounts, rather than from unknown sellers.

Suspecting that its identity was being used to defraud Garba enthusiasts, the company submitted a written application to the Cyber Crime police on October 13 before filing a formal complaint. It alleged that an unidentified person had created a fraudulent email ID and used its name and logo to collect money from prospective attendees.

Police have registered a case and are working to identify the person behind the Instagram account and trace the alleged transactions. Investigators will also examine whether the names of the other Garba events listed in the post were used without authorisation and whether customers were cheated through similar offers.

With discounted passes attracting people seeking entry to popular Navratri events, the case highlights the risks of buying tickets through unauthorised social media accounts. Garba-goers should verify offers directly with event organisers and use official booking channels before making payments.