Vivo to sponsor IPL 2021 as bids for transfer of rights not upto expectations: BCCI source
New Delhi, Feb 19: Chinese mobile manufacturer Vivo will return to sponsor the IPL this season after its attempts to transfer the rights to another company failed to materialise as offers were not upto its "expectations".
Vivo's sponsorship deal with the BCCI, worth Rs 440 crore per year, was suspended last season due to the Sino-India border stand off in the aftermath of a violent clash in eastern Ladakh.
"...the offer made by Dream11 and Unacademy was not upto Vivo's expectations this year, so they have decided to take it themselves and explore next year," a BCCI source told PTI.
Dream11 had been the IPL title sponsors for the 2020 edition, winning the rights for Rs 222 crore, which was nearly half of what Vivo was paying annually for a five-year deal.
Vivo won the IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 2190 crore.
The anti-China sentiment in the country peaked after the violent face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley. India lost 20 soldiers in the clash, while China also acknowledged unspecified casualties.
The stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) caused outrage across India with several calls for boycott of Chinese companies and products.
It is in this backdrop that Vivo and BCCI decided to suspend the deal for the 2020 season, which was held in the UAE due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Half of the annual Vivo sponsorship money is distributed equally among eight franchises which comes to Rs 27.5 crore.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Interstate cyber-fraud racket busted in UP's Baghpat, 7 held
Baghpat (PTI): An interstate cyber-fraud racket involved in duping people on the pretext of providing bank jobs was busted by police in this Uttar Pradesh district on Sunday with the arrest of seven people, including two women, officials said.
Police said the accused were running a fake call centre and luring job seekers from several states by issuing forged appointment letters and fabricated agreements in the name of bank recruitment, collecting large sums of money in return.
READ READ: Meat, alcohol ban at three 'holy cities' now in effect: Punjab CM Mann
Twelve mobile phones, two laptops, two SIM cards on fake names, several forged appointment letters and agreements, 15 bank passbooks, two chequebooks, UPI QR codes, ATM cards and 11 other cards were seized from the possession of the accused, police said, adding that the data of around 6,450 people from different states was found stored in the laptops.
According to the officials, the gang misused information obtained from online platforms, such as OLX and job-related websites, to target unsuspecting victims.
The racket was uncovered following complaints received on the Union home ministry's "Pratibimb" portal and subsequent technical surveillance.
Investigations revealed at least 20 complaints from various states, including Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Meghalaya.
The arrested accused were identified as Mohit Kumar, Puneet Kumar, Vardaan, Anuj Kumar and Akshay, besides the two women.
They were arrested at around 11:30 am from under the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in the Kotwali Baghpat area.
A case has been registered at the cyber crime police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 66D of the Information Technology Act, police said.
