IPL tickets sold at higher prices; police bust black-market racket

Jaipur: The city police's crime branch launched a probe into a suspected nexus that allowed black marketers to amass large numbers of IPL tickets and sell them at exorbitant prices ahead of matches at the Sawai Mansingh (SMS) Stadium.

DCP (Crime) Kundan Kanwaria said that three persons— Rajesh Vishnoi, Sandeep Natani, and Chandra Prakash — were arrested in two separate cases over the past week. Police recovered a large haul of match tickets from their possession, along with a four-wheeler used in the operation.

Kanwaria said that the accused were found with 40 tickets priced at Rs 2,400 each, 16 tickets priced at Rs 3,200 each, and 40 tickets priced at Rs 2,200 each. The Rs 2,200 tickets were being resold at prices ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000, while premium-category tickets were sold for as high as Rs 10,000, he said.

"There is a purchase limit per person for online ticket booking. Yet, the accused managed to secure countless tickets of different categories. We are investigating how they obtained them," Kanwaria said.

Police suspect that the racket involved insiders who facilitated bulk ticket procurement. "This is a violation of standard purchase norms. Further arrests and disclosures are expected as the investigation progresses," he said.

The police also said that the accused would sell the tickets only a day or hours before the tournament. "There was a match Monday, so the accused would begin selling off these tickets for exorbitant prices Monday morning, cashing in on the desperation," Kanwaria said, adding that there could be even more suspects involved in the racket who are also under the scanner.

"We suspect that the gang operated under different stages, someone gave tickets to these accused who then sold them in the black market," he said.

State human rights commission chief calls for report on IPL ticket black marketing

Jaipur: The Chairperson of Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission (RSHRC), Justice G R Moolchandani, responded to a news report about the arrest of two persons involved in the black marketing of IPL tickets. On Monday, he directed the Jaipur police commissioner to submit a comprehensive report on the incident.

Additionally, the chairperson said that it is expected that the police commissioner should ensure proper management of ticket distribution and guarantee that cricket enthusiasts have access to IPL tickets without any difficulties. The next IPL match in Jaipur is on May 1.