Atlanta-based Ketan Shah duped many Super Bowl fans by “selling” them tickets but not delivering them.
Atlanta-based Ketan Shah duped many Super Bowl fans by “selling” them tickets but not delivering them
While most of America was looking forward to supporting their favorite team in the Super Bowl, an Indian American man was allegedly busy plotting a scam to dupe the football lovers of thousands of dollars.
Ketan Shah, a 48-year-old Indian American businessman from Lawrenceville in the Atlanta area, has been arrested and charges with swindling many Super Bowl fans in a well-thought out ticket scam. Shah promised to sell tickets to buyers but failed to deliver them at all.
He was arrested on Tuesday at the Pechanga Casino and Resort in Temecula, California, according to police. Shah, a resident of Georgia’s Gwinett County, was wanted by police in a $1 million Super Bowl scam. He was reportedly missing since the incident and a casino worker in California, who recognized him helped in his arrest.
The news was first uncovered by Channel 2 investigative reporter Nicole Carr last week and quickly gained steam across America. By the time investigations began, Shah was reported missing and was traveling to different places. He is said to have gone to Las Vegas, Florida, Alabama, New Mexico and then disappeared again before being arrested at the casino.
Shah has been charged with felony theft by conversion. In the scam, he was able to dupe nearly half a dozen people who were offered to be sold Super Bowl tickets. Interestingly, according to the police, amongst the people whom Shah offered to sell the tickets at $5,000 each was Shah’s own mother.
The casino worker is said to have recognized Shah from a news story he saw on TV. Shah’s actions also became suspecting when he was found spending on expensive gifts for the woman he was with.
Shah is in custody currently in California and he will be extradited back to Gwinnett County. Shah is a director of the Georgia Indo American Chamber of Commerce. The chamber has since then suspended Shah from its board of directors, according to a statement posted on the website last week.