Coldplay Ticket Scandal: Maharashtra Cyber Cell Issues Fresh Directives To BookMyShow, Zomato

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has asked BookMyShow and Zomato to print buyer’s names on passes and verify government-issued IDs at entry points for major events, aiming to curb ticket black marketing.

The Maharashtra Cyber Cell took action following reports of alleged ticket black marketing during the five Coldplay concerts held between January 18 and 26.

Maharashtra Cyber Cell Chief Yashasvi Yadav was quoted by NDTV as saying that large-scale events often see individuals purchasing tickets in bulk and reselling them at significantly higher prices on various platforms and social media. “Individuals were buying 20-25 tickets for the purpose of black-marketing,” he said.

Yadav added that the new directives would apply to events and concerts where ticket demand far exceeds supply. Additionally, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell plans to release a white paper on the issue, developed with input from ticketing platform operators. The white paper, presented in legal form, will outline the technical changes needed for ticket sales and improvements on ticketing platforms.

Tickets for such events will be non-transferable, even if the buyer is unable to attend the concert. Yadav further explained, “In that case, just like with airlines, you have to cancel the ticket and make a fresh booking. A refund will be issued according to the ticketing platform’s policy.”

When Coldplay concert tickets sold out quickly during the October sales last year, frustrated fans took to social media to express their disappointment. Soon after, tickets surfaced on the black market at inflated prices, prompting an investigation by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

However, BookMyShow filed an FIR regarding the illegal resale of Coldplay tickets and announced that it is reviewing the possibility of cancelling tickets being resold through unethical means.
As part of the investigation, Mumbai Police had summoned BookMyShow’s CEO and co-founder, Ashish Hemrajani, along with the company’s technical head, as per reports.