Pramesh S Jain
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police have busted an IPL ticket black-marketing racket operating at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Investigations have revealed the involvement of a member associated with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Police have registered an FIR against two accused in connection with the case.
The racket came to light during a raid led by CCB officials,during which Chandrashekar,a staff member working at a stadium canteen,was apprehended.
He was caught selling IPL tickets priced at Rs.15,000 for around Rs.19,000 in the black market.
During interrogation,Chandrashekar disclosed the name of another accused,Ganesh Harikesh,who is allegedly the key operator behind the racket.
Senior officer further said,Ganesh procured tickets in bulk using two private firms through online platforms and then routed them to Chandrashekar for resale at inflated prices near the stadium.
It has been found that the accused sold around 81 tickets during the opening match of the Indian Premier League season.
For the subsequent match,they had arranged nearly 100 tickets for black-market sale.
In total,181 tickets worth over Rs.17 lakh were procured, out of which at least 100 tickets were sold illegally at higher prices.
Following Chandrashekar’s arrest,the main accused Ganesh Harikesh is currently absconding. Police have launched a search operation to trace him.
Authorities are also preparing to issue notices to the two private firms involved in supplying the tickets as part of the ongoing investigation.
