ED conducts search in 5 cities in illegal concert ticket sales

ED conducted searches in Mumbai and four cities over a money-laundering probe into illegal ticket sales for concerts by Diljeet Dosanjh and Coldplay.

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches in Mumbai, and four other cities across the country, as part of its money-laundering probe related to the alleged illegal sale of concert tickets of Indian singer-actor Diljeet Dosanjh and international musical band Coldplay. The agency’s initial probe has revealed involvement of multiple individuals known for selling tickets, including fake ones through social media.

ED conducts search in 5 cities in illegal concert ticket sales

ED’s searches were conducted as part of its investigation into illegal sale of concert tickets by scamsters, the financial networks supporting such activities, and tracing the end-beneficiaries of the money generated from the crime, ED sources said.

Apart from Mumbai, the searches were conducted at Delhi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru. Several articles were seized during the search including mobile phones, laptops, and SIM cards that were used to scam. ED’s probe was based on several cases registered by the police in multiple states, including an FIR by BookMyShow, an online site providing tickets for concerts and movies/events, against several suspects believed to be exploiting concert goers. The FIR alleged that suspects were taking advantage of the high demand for these coveted musical concerts by selling counterfeit tickets and were responsible for drastic inflation of prices.

Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati World Tour’ concerts will be held in October and November across India, including in Delhi on Saturday. Coldplay’s ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’ will taken place at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on January 18, 19, and 21 in 2025. “Both events have generated immense excitement, leading official ticketing partners, BookMyShow and Zomato Live, to report that tickets sold out in just minutes on their platforms, which ultimately led to black-marketing of tickets at exorbitant prices,” the ED source said.

Following the rapid sellout, numerous reports have emerged of individuals allegedly being cheated through fraudulent ticket sales. Many fans discovered that they were sold fake tickets or charged exorbitant prices for legitimate ones, ED sources said.