New Delhi: The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has lodged an FIR and demanded an immediate probe after several athletes across India were duped of money through a false advertisement for next year’s ‘Khelo India Games’. The ‘Khelo India Games’ are scheduled to be held in Panchkula next year.
“SAI has received several complaints from grassroots-level athletes from across India. They have said that an advertisement has been posted on social media platforms inviting applications to participate in the ‘Khelo India Games’ scheduled in Panchkula in Haryana in 2021,” SAI said in a statement.
“In the advertisement athletes have been asked to deposit Rs 6,000 for enrolling in the Khelo India camp. They have been assured that they can participate in Khelo India Games after trials,” SAI added.
SAI said the advertisement also used ‘logos of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, SAI and Khelo India. This misled several athletes to believe it to be a government advertisement’.
The apex body has managed to get the bank details of the culprit and demanded an immediate probe into the matter. “A phone number was mentioned in the ad. Acting as an aspirant, SAI has managed to get bank account details of the person, who is a resident of Agra,” SAI officials informed.
They said SAI has lodged an FIR with the Uttar Pradesh police and asked for an immediate investigation of the issue.
Khelo India Games, government’s flagship grassroots talent hunt programme, will return for its fourth edition next year.
