Coldplay tickets row: Cops question ticketing website’s executive

The complainant has alleged genuine purchasers were intentionally logged out seconds before 12 pm on September 22. File Pic/X

Intensifying the probe into the Coldplay tickets scam, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police questioned the chief operating officer (COO) of BookMyShow for several hours on Monday. The EOW had earlier summoned both the COO, Anil Makhija, and CEO Ashish Hemrajani to join the investigation. On Monday, Hemrajani attempted to meet Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, but Fadnavis declined to meet him to ensure the investigation remains unbiased.

EOW sources revealed that Hemrajani has requested more time, while Makhija appeared on Monday to record his statement. He is likely to be summoned again for further clarification regarding the allegations in the Coldplay tickets scam, as alleged by lawyer Amit Vyas, the complainant in the case.

Earlier, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police summoned Ashish Hemrajani, CEO of Big Tree Entertainment Private Limited (parent company of BookMyShow), along with the company's technical head. This was based on a complaint filed by lawyer Amit Vyas, who alleged serious fraud in the sale of tickets for the upcoming Coldplay concert scheduled for January next year in Navi Mumbai.

Advocate Vyas in his complaint has alleged that the online sale of tickets of the highly renowned band "Coldplay" was controlled by Bookmyshow in such a manner that the genuine purchasers were intentionally logged out of the platform seconds before 12 pm on September 22 and were not allowed to access the platform to buy tickets for the Concert with a view to make unlawful gains.

Advocate Vyas has alleged that It is apparent that BookMyShow and Live Nation Entertainment have colluded to black-market the concert tickets to black marketeers/Viagogo, who are now selling tickets at prices 30 to 50 times higher than their original price.

The EOW officials have said that the initial statement of the COO has been recorded to get clarity on the allegations labelled against BookMyShow. "Our investigation is based on the complaint we've received from the lawyer and the initial preliminary inquiry reveals some facts which require clarity from BookMyShow and if the clarity is not provided we will register the FIR to investigate the matter further," an officer of the EOW privy to the investigation said. Earlier in a statement, BookMyShow refuted all the allegations levelled by advocate Vyas.