New Delhi: The outcry of British rock band Coldplay and actor-singer Diljeet Dosanjh fans over alleged blackmarketing and counterfeiting of concert tickets has prompted the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to take action. An official said on Saturday that the ED’s raids in five cities, seizing laptops and other digital devices at 13 locations, demonstrate its commitment to protecting the public from such scams.
The ED search operations in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Bangalore came amid allegations of illegal sale of tickets for Diljeet Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati’ tour (October 21-December 29) and Coldplay’s ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’ (Mumbai, January 18-19, 2025) concerts, reportedly being sold in the grey market for as high as Rs 1,00,000 each.
The ED action was aimed at investigating the illegal sales of tickets, the financial networks supporting these scams and tracing the Proceeds of Crime generated from such illegal activities, a statement said.
The ED identified several culprits during searches that revealed alleged wrongdoings on social media platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram.
The ED initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and conducted searches on Friday at multiple locations. According to a statement, the ED seized incriminating materials such as mobile phones, laptops, and SIM cards used in the alleged scam.
The official ticketing partners for the concerts, Bookmyshow and Zomato Live claimed that tickets sold within minutes on their platforms, leading to the black marketing of tickets at exorbitant prices.
Following the rapid sellout, numerous reports emerged of fans being cheated by conmen who either sold fake tickets or charged a high premium for selling them the tickets over social media platforms.
Multiple FIRs have been filed in various states, including one filed by the online ticket booking platform Bookmyshow, against unnamed suspects believed to be exploiting concertgoers.
The FIR alleged that these individuals sold counterfeit tickets at drastically inflated prices, taking advantage of the high demand.
–IANS
