BookMyShow COO Questioned by Mumbai Police Over Coldplay Ticket Black Marketing

The Mumbai police have recorded the statement of the chief operating officer of online ticket aggregator BookMyShow in connection with a complaint alleging black marketing of tickets for shows of British rock band Coldplay, an official said on Tuesday.

Anil Makhija, COO of the company, appeared before officials of the Economic Offences Wing on Monday to record his statement, the official said.

The EOW had on Saturday summoned BookMyShow's chief executive officer, Ashish Hemrajani in connection with a complaint by an advocate accusing the ticketing platform. However, he failed to appear before the police, he said.

The highly-anticipated Coldplay concert in Mumbai in Jan. 2025 has been clouded by concerns about ticketing scams on BookMyShow, as millions of fans scrambled for a limited number of tickets.

The band has three shows at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Jan. 18, 19 and 21 next year as part of its “Music of the Spheres World Tour 2025”.

On Saturday, a BookMyShow spokesperson clarified, "It came to our notice that unauthorised platforms listed (and continue to list) tickets for Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India, both before and after the official sale." 

They added that BookMyShow has no association with unauthorised reselling platforms such as Viagogo and Gigsberg or any third-party individuals.

Tickets are being scalped for as high as Rs 1 lakh in the black market, while the official ticket prices range between Rs 2,500 and Rs 35,000. 

Coldplay's highly anticipated concert will mark their return to India for the first time since 2016. The band is set to perform in Mumbai on Jan. 18 and 19, 2025, with a third show added on Jan. 21 due to overwhelming demand. 

Despite BookMyShow's efforts, many fans faced frustration due to ticketing issues as sales began on Sept. 22 at noon.