Hyderabad Police Crack Down on Black-Market Ticket Sales for T20 Match

Police Arrest Four for Illegal Ticket Sales

In Hyderabad, authorities have detained four individuals for their involvement in the illegal sale of complimentary tickets for the upcoming fourth T20 International match between India and the West Indies, set to take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday. The police seized 11 match passes labeled "NOT FOR SALE" during their operation.

The Goshamahal Police took action after receiving reports about the unauthorized sale of tickets at inflated prices. Alongside the tickets, officers confiscated eight passes for a Navratri event, ₹5,000 in cash, four mobile phones, and a two-wheeler.

The situation unfolded when Assistant Sub-Inspector V Janardhan Naik received a tip-off regarding the ticket sales near SD Mall in Begum Bazar on October 12. While on patrol around 9 PM, Naik and police constable G Sai Kumar apprehended two suspects, Avinash Darak, 24, and Mohit Somani, 30, and recovered the tickets and other items from them.

During interrogation, the suspects revealed that they had acquired the cricket tickets from Akarshit Srivastava and were promoting them for sale on social media at significantly marked-up prices.

Further inquiries indicated that Akarshit had obtained the complimentary tickets from his father, Satish Chandra Srivastava, a member of the Hyderabad Cricket Association at Uppal Cricket Stadium, and had passed them on to Darak.

Darak, with the help of his brother-in-law Somani, was allegedly advertising the tickets on social media, reaching out to potential buyers and selling them at exorbitant rates in the black market.

The four individuals—Akarshit Srivastava, Avinash Darak, Mohit Somani, and Satish Chandra Srivastava—were arrested on October 13 and are now in judicial custody. The Goshamahal Police have filed a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the CP Act, with the investigation still ongoing.

Authorities have urged cricket enthusiasts to purchase tickets solely through authorized vendors and to steer clear of unauthorized sellers on social media. They also warned against buying or selling complimentary tickets marked "NOT FOR SALE," as such actions could lead to legal repercussions.

This incident arises just before the fourth T20I match between India and the West Indies in Hyderabad, where India currently leads the five-match series 2-1, aiming for a decisive victory, while the West Indies seek to equalize the series ahead of the final match in Bengaluru on Saturday.