Ahead of Diljit Dosanjh's concert today, the Enforcement Directorate conducted search operations in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Bangalore in relation to illegal sale of tickets for both Dil-luminati and Coldplay concerts.
With a few hours remaining for Diljit Dosanjh's concert, scheduled to begin at 7pm at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, the national probing agency initiated investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and conducted searches in 13 locations in the five cities. ED's raid comes after multiple FIRs were filed across cities.
“Multiple FIRs have been filed in various states across the country including an FIR filed by Bookmyshow against several suspects believed to be exploiting concertgoers. The FIR alleges that these individuals have engaged in selling counterfeit tickets and drastically inflating prices, taking advantage of the high demand for these coveted concerts,” said the Enforcement Directorate in its latest statement.
In September, the announcement of the two major concerts, Dil-luminati tour, and Coldplay's ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’ witnessed a mad rush among fans, as tickets were sold out within minutes, leading to black-marketing. Concert tickets that were originally priced around ₹3000-4000, on Book My Show and Zomato platforms, the official partners for the concerts, were re-sold at prices as high as ₹3 lakh.
Till date, ED has seized several mobile phones, laptops, and sim cards to investigate the illegal sale of concert tickets. Further investigation is underway, added the probing agency.
The frenzy around the concerts did not stop just at tickets. A surge in airfares, and hotel room charges also made it to the list, as fans who could not bag the tickets for Coldplay concert, booked hotel rooms overlooking the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, where the English band is set to perform.
Diljit-Dosanjh is set to begin his Dil-luminati tour with his first concert in Delhi on October 26-27, followed by another show in Jaipur on November 1. Meanwhile, British rock band Coldplay is set to electrify its Indian fans around January 18-19, in Mumbai, after a eight year hiatus since their last performance in 2016.
