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EOW interrogates BookMyShow COO over Coldplay concert ticket black market allegations
Anil Makhija questioned for seven hours as police investigate ticket hoarding and price inflation for Coldplay's January 2025 concerts in Mumbai.
The sudden surge in demand caused the BookMyShow platform to crash shortly before the tickets went live at noon on September 22.
In a significant development, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police on Monday interrogated Anil Makhija, Chief Operating Officer of Big Tree Entertainment, for approximately seven hours, as per reports.
The investigation pertains to allegations of a ticketing scam surrounding British rock band Coldplay's upcoming concerts in Navi Mumbai, scheduled for January 2025. Big Tree Entertainment is the parent company of BookMyShow, India's popular platform for purchasing live event tickets.
A senior officer from the EOW confirmed the questioning, saying, "We had summoned Ashish Hemrajani, CEO of Big Tree Entertainment, but Makhija was sent in his place. We are analysing the information provided by him to decide on further actions."
The inquiry follows a complaint filed by lawyer Amit Vyas, accusing BookMyShow of conspiring with black-market operators to hoard tickets, which were later sold at exorbitant rates on unauthorised platforms like Viagogo.
Fans were left frustrated earlier this week when tickets for Coldplay's three concerts sold out within minutes. The sudden surge in demand caused the BookMyShow platform to crash shortly before the tickets went live at noon on September 22. Thousands of disappointed fans later discovered that tickets were being resold on unofficial websites at prices far exceeding their original value.
Vyas's complaint alleges that the ticketing system was rigged to log out genuine buyers while bulk sales were made to reselling platforms. "A ticket sold for Rs 2,500 on BookMyShow was available for as much as Rs 2,50,000 on reselling websites like Viagogo," the complaint stated.
In response, BookMyShow also filed a complaint with authorities to support the investigation, urging fans to avoid purchasing tickets from unauthorized sources, as they risk receiving invalid or fake tickets.
The investigation is ongoing, and further developments are expected as police continue to probe the matter.
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