Mumbai’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has summoned Ahish Hemrajani, CEO of BookMyShow’s parent company, Big Tree Entertainment, over allegations of black marketing related to Coldplay concert tickets. This marks the second summons, following an earlier one on September 27, which the company failed to address.
The ongoing investigation stems from accusations linking BookMyShow to illegal ticket reselling activities despite the company denying involvement.
The controversy surfaced after lawyer Amit Vyas filed a formal complaint, accusing BookMyShow of ticketing scalping for the highly anticipated Coldplay concert. According to the complaint, tickets initially sold on the platform were resold on sites like Viagogo at significantly inflated prices, ranging from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 2 lakh, compared to their original Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 12,500.
“EOW had sent them summons earlier on September 27 but they didn’t appear before the agency. They have been asked to appear before the investigation officer today and record their statement,” said Mumbai Police.
Vyas claims that BookMyShow deliberately logged out users seconds before the ticket sale to funnel tickets to these reselling platforms.
Moreover, Vyasas alleged that the company engaged in organized crime and violated provisions of the Bhartiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023, which includes criminal breach of trust.
The complaint also references the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, asserting that BookMyShow unlawfully blocked its website to facilitate scalping — an action only permissible under the government’s authority as per Section 69A of the IT Act.
BookMyShow has categorically denied affiliation with reselling platforms like Viagogo and Gigsberg. The company claims it has taken steps to combat ticket sales by filing police complaints against individuals who attempt to manipulate them.
“At BookMyShow, we’ve worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, capping it at 4 tickets per user across all shows, providing clear, step-by-step booking guides and maintaining transparent communication through all our official channels,” a BookMyShow spokesperson told ANI.
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