Tricksters’ day out at Pragati Maidan

A number of people on Sunday fell victim to touts offering tickets for India International Trade Fair after the organisers abruptly stopped their sale due to a swelling crowd.

It was a field day for cheats outside Pragati Maidan, the venue of India International Trade Fair, as a number of people on Sunday fell victim to touts offering tickets after the organisers abruptly stopped their sale due to a swelling crowd.

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At least a dozen visitors complained that they were tricked in to buying the "counterfoils" of tickets after failing to get one from the authorised counters.

They realised that they were cheated only after they approached the gate seeking entry into the facility in the afternoon.

Some people were seen approaching innocent visitors and offering them tickets priced at Rs 60.

"The modus operandi was that these cheats collected the counterfoils of the tickets and sold it to people saying it was full tickets.

"But the guards did not allow them entry as they do not have a proper ticket," a senior police official said, adding they have deployed personnel to check such incidents.

Sashi Aggarwal, a house-wife who came with her teenaged son, was one of the victims who paid Rs 120 for two tickets.

"I had come from Rohini for the fair with my son and as I came from far away, I did not want to go home without visiting the fair.

"I was so glad when one boy came to me and said he had seven tickets as his relatives had not turned up and offered it to me without charging extra money," she said.

She claimed that she approached the police but they were not helpful.

Police said they asked the organisers to stop ticket sales as part of crowd management. "We had decided on a cap of one lakh," a senior police official said.