Kolkata, Nov 2 (UNI) At least seven persons have been arrested here for allegedly selling tickets at exorbitant prices for Sunday’s India-South Africa Cricket World Cup game, a top police officer said.on Thursday.
Meanwhile, scores of life members of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) have lodged complaints with the Maidan Police Station against the CAB, BCCI and the ticket booking app bookmyshow.com for not getting tickets despite their best efforts.
Many members have alleged that while there are at least 1100 CAB life members, only 3000 of them got tickets.
“We know our bench/chair will remain vacant and our allotted tickets would be sold at high prices,” a life member alleged.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal told a private TV channel that the police have arrested seven accused of selling WC tickets with at premium prices. At least 55 tickets have been seized from them.
He said an investigation is on regarding police complaints filed against the CAB, BCCI, and bookmyshow.com.
Former BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly told reporters that the CAB on a first come first served basis disbursed 3000 tickets to its life members from the quota allotted to it by the BCCI.
Ganguly said Eden Gardens has a 67,000-seat capacity but the demand for the match “seems unlimited, and so, what can be done”.
“Once tickets go out of CAB and Eden Gardens, it is out of the control of the cricket authorities and the police will have to act,” the former India captain said when asked about the black marketing of tickets.
A private TV channel using hidden cameras reported that the Rs 900 denomination tikets were being sold at nine to 12 time higher prices for the match.
On Tuesday one man was arrested for selling tickets worth Rs. 2500 at Rs.11,000 each.
