Ashish Hemrajani, the CEO and co-founder of BookMyShow, along with the company’s technical head, has been called in by the Mumbai Police regarding accusations of black marketing tickets for Coldplay’s upcoming concert. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is looking into these claims following a complaint from advocate Amit Vyas, who alleges that the ticketing platform facilitated the resale of tickets for the concert at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, set for January 19 to 21, 2025.
Ticket Prices and Allegations of Fraud
Hemrajani and the technical head are expected to provide their statements to the police on Saturday. Vyas claims that tickets initially priced at ₹2,500 are being resold by third parties and influencers for as much as ₹3 lakh. He accuses BookMyShow of deceiving fans and is pressing for fraud charges against the company. The EOW has already gathered Vyas’ statement and identified multiple brokers involved in the alleged ticket scalping.
Political Reactions and Calls for Investigation
The opposition party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), expressed concern over a possible “nexus” involved in the black marketing of Coldplay concert tickets and is demanding a thorough investigation. Spokesperson Anand Dubey noted, “The tickets were reportedly sold out within minutes of being made available online, which left many genuine fans disappointed.” He urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to intervene to prevent such incidents.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members have also voiced allegations against the concert organizers, with spokesperson Ram Kadam stating, “Whoever is involved in this matter should be in jail. We will not allow any black marketing in the state.”
Ticket Sales Issues
When ticket sales for Coldplay’s Mumbai concert began on September 22, the BookMyShow platform experienced a crash. The British rock band, which is returning to India after an eight-year break, has now added a third show to its “Music of the Spheres World Tour 2025” due to high demand.
