Sports teacher, peon held for black marketing T20 semi final tickets

The accused sports teacher, 40-year-old Sagar Arjun Todkar, provided complimentary passes and tickets distributed by the MCA to at least three arrested accused who subsequently sold these at inflated rates to hapless customers, police said

Mumbai: A Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) member and sports teacher at an Andheri-based college and a peon at another Matunga-based college have been arrested in connection with the alleged blackmarketing of tickets for the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Photo for representation (REUTERS)

The accused sports teacher, 40-year-old Sagar Arjun Todkar, provided complimentary passes and tickets distributed by the MCA to at least three arrested accused who subsequently sold these at inflated rates to hapless customers, police officers familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times. The peon also had access to complimentary passes and tickets and provided these to other accused, investigators suspect.

The MCA usually distributes paid tickets and complimentary passes for various international and IPL matches held at Wankhede stadium to 348 affiliated clubs, as per details mentioned on the association’s website.

While the ticketing process for this T20 World Cup has drawn much criticism over the lack of clarity on timelines and rates, demand for tickets for the India-England semi final match on Thursday was sky high, leaving enough scope for frauds to make quick money via black marketing.

On Thursday itself, the DB Marg police registered a first information report (FIR) under section 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, alleging that unidentified accused were selling match tickets and complimentary tickets distributed by the MCA at inflated rates.

The DB Marg police subsequently arrested three accused – 26-year-old Vile Parle resident Aditya Raorane, 32-year old Andheri resident Meghan Pradhan, and 33-year-old Andheri resident Kaivalya Thete.

“The three accused had uploaded posts on social media and even approached some people personally claiming they had some match tickets which were available for ₹20,000-25,000 each,” a police officer working on the case said on condition of anonymity. “During interrogation, they claimed that the tickets were supplied to them by a sports teacher at an Andheri-based college and others.”

Pursuing the lead, the DB Marg police on Sunday arrested Todkar and 40-year-old Jitendra Sankhe, peon at a Matunga-based college.

Todkar, who has received various recognitions in the field of sports, was arrested from his residence at Ghatkopar East while Sankhe was arrested from Palghar district, police said.

In a separate probe, the Mumbai crime branch has arrested an accused identified as Zaheer Bamane, 51, for allegedly blackmarketing tickets for the same semi final match.