ADVERTISEMENT

Kolkata police serve notice to BCCI over sale of tickets

BCCI President has been asked to submit or assign any competent person of organisation to provide documents related to sale and distribution of tickets by November 7

Our Bureau Kolkata Published 06.11.23, 05:37 AM
Representational image

Representational image File picture

The president of BCCI, Roger Binny, was served with a notice by the Kolkata police on Saturday evening seeking information and relevant documents related to the sale of tickets for the India-South Africa match at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

Joint commissioner (crime), Kolkata police, Shankha Shubhra Chakrabarty, said that the president has been asked to submit or assign any competent person of the organisation to provide the documents related to the sale and distribution of tickets by the BCCI by November 7.

ADVERTISEMENT

This newspaper tried to contact Binny over the phone but he did not take calls.

Allegations of mishandling of tickets for the India-South Africa match at the Eden Gardens on Sunday had surfaced against Bookmyshow.com — the official portal for the sale of the World Cup match tickets and the Cricket Association of Bengal, following which Kolkata police have started a case in Maidan police station.

Till Friday, police have been able to examine the CAB officials and the Bookmyshow.com officials.

“According to the Bookmyshow.com officials they were given only 18,000 tickets for sale which were completely sold out. The CAB officials said they had distributed or sold 25,975 tickets to various clubs. But there is no clarity on the remaining 20,000 odd tickets that are meant to be complimentary tickets,” said a senior officer of Kolkata police.

A CAB official told this newspaper that it was the lookout of the BCCI how many complimentary tickets were given out and to whom. “It has nothing to do with the CAB,” he said.

Police said, to know about the protocol that is being followed by the BCCI in distributing and allocating tickets certain documents have been requisitioned from them.

Hundreds of thousands of Kolkatans have been complaining that they did not get a chance to purchase a ticket for the match between India and South Afric.

Many complained that when they tried to book a ticket online through Bookmyshow.com they were either told that all tickets were sold out or asked to stay in the queue.

Meanwhile, Kolkata police found several India-South Africa tickets were being sold at a premium, giving rise to suspicion on how black marketeers had access to the tickets that common people did not.

Till Sunday, 118 tickets for the match were seized by the police that were being sold at a premium.

Seven cases have been registered and more than 20 persons have been arrested in connection with the cases.

Follow us on:
ADVERTISEMENT