Coldplay fans spark outrage as tickets resold for sky-high prices
A 19-year-old student Anna Abraham stated, 'Tickets are being resold for 10, 20, or even 30 times their original price.'
British rock band Coldplay’s upcoming India tour sparked a police investigation and upset fans after scalpers bought cheap tickets to resell online for over ₹83,000 each.
Fans erupted in disappointment after attempting and failing to secure tickets for the three concerts set to take place in Mumbai’s financial hub next January. The tickets were sold through the popular Indian online ticket portal, BookMyShow.
All three shows sold out within minutes, leaving fans furious when ₹6,000 tickets appeared on resale sites at much higher prices.19-year-old student Anna Abraham stated, ‘Tickets are being resold for 10, 20, or even 30 times their original price.'”
“I wouldn’t feel right paying 30 times more than what I could have originally paid.”
According to local media, police questioned BookMyShow’s chief operating officer on Monday after Mumbai lawyer Amit Vyas filed a complaint. Vyas alleged that the company was colluding with “black marketeers” to profit from ticket sales.
Amit Vyas, who filed the complaint, told Indian Express, “I spoke with nearly 100 concert regulars, and none of them had managed to get a ticket. That made me suspicious, so I went to the police, knowing something was off.”
Following the complaint, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police questioned Anil Makhija, Chief Operating Officer of Big Tree Entertainment, for around seven hours on Monday. The interrogation was related to an alleged scam involving the sale of tickets for Coldplay’s January 2025 concerts. Big Tree Entertainment, the parent company of BookMyShow, is a leading platform for buying event tickets.
An officer from the EOW said, “We questioned Anil Makhija, COO of Big Tree Entertainment, for seven hours. The CEO, Ashish Hemrajani, was summoned but sent Makhija instead. He answered our questions, and we will now review his responses to decide the next steps.”
To the backlash, BookMyShow responded it had “no association” with unauthorised ticket reselling. The company firmly opposes ticket scalping and black market sales, which are strictly illegal and punishable by law.”
Ticket controversies are common for major events. In 2022, Taylor Swift criticised Ticketmaster after fans were outraged over sales for her ‘Eras Tour, highlighting issues like hidden fees, scalping, and limited ticket availability.
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