Delhi Police bust IPL ticket black marketing racket, 3 held

The Delhi Police has busted a black-marketing racket involving Tata IPL match tickets and arrested three people for allegedly selling complimentary passes and regular tickets at exorbitant prices, an official said on Saturday.

The accused have been identified as Mukeem (35), Gufran alias Sajid (36) and Mohammad Faisal (38), police said.

According to police, a team of the crime branch laid a trap near Delhi Gate on May 8 after a tip-off about the illegal sale of IPL tickets.

“The accused were allegedly posing as authorised representatives of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) and selling tickets at inflated prices to unsuspecting buyers,” a police officer said.

He said 54 IPL tickets, including 33 complimentary passes marked “not for sale,” and Rs 25,000 in cash were recovered from their possession.

The accused told police they sold complimentary passes for nearly Rs 20,000 each and regular tickets for almost double their printed price, depending on the match’s popularity and the buyers’ profile, police said.

Investigators said the accused were part of a black-market network for IPL tickets across different cities where matches were held.

“They allegedly travelled by air to various venues and procured tickets and passes through different sources,” the officer said.

Police also suspect that premium tickets were supplied to people involved in online betting syndicates operating inside stadiums, in addition to other criminal elements.

The officer said an FIR filed, three accused arrested and are on police remand, and efforts are underway to identify other members. Police said the accused were previously involved in multiple criminal cases registered in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, including cheating, gambling and ticket black marketing.

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