BookMyShow CEO called by Mumbai Police over alleged black marketing Coldplay tickets

The Mumbai police recently summoned the CEO of popular ticketing platform BookMyShow for their alleged involvement in the black marketing of highly sought-after Coldplay concert tickets. Ashish Hemrajani, the CEO of BookMyShow's parent company Big Tree Entertainment along with the company's technical head have been called to provide their statements before the investigating officer on Saturday, September 28, 2024.

This happened after a Mumbai-based lawyer filed a complaint against the platform, accusing them of facilitating the unauthorized resale of tickets for the much-awaited concert at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai from January 18-21 next year.

Investigation initiated by Mumbai Police

The Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has taken the complaint seriously and has decided to investigate the matter. The advocate who filed the complaint alleged that BookMyShow played a role in the black market sales of the Coldplay concert tickets. While the original ticket prices ranged from Rs 2,500 to Rs 35,000, they were being resold at sky-high prices on certain unauthorized platforms. In response to the accusations, BookMyShow issued a statement on social media denying any association with ticket reselling platforms mentioning that ticket touting is illegal.

⚠️ OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING RESALE OF #MOTSWT TICKETS pic.twitter.com/hTCaeIl9Fc

— BookMyShow (@bookmyshow)

September 23, 2024

Shiv Sena demands investigation

Following the revelations, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey has written to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, urging for a thorough investigation into the alleged black marketing of the Coldplay tickets. Dubey pointed out the availability of tickets through unofficial channels at inflated prices despite the official declaration of a sold-out show by BookMyShow.

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Police action

The Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police is expected to record the statements of Ashish Hemrajani and the company's technical head on Saturday. BookMyShow has assured full cooperation with the authorities in the investigation and has warned consumers against purchasing tickets from unauthorized sources to avoid the risk of ending up with fake tickets.

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