Bhubaneswar: The Sahid Nagar police in Bhubaneswar have busted a racket involving the black-marketing of tickets for the India-Wales Pool D FIH Hockey World Cup match scheduled for January 29 at the Kalinga Stadium here.
Sources said that police have arrested five persons, including an engineering student, and they were allegedly using social media to target prospective buyers and sell the tickets at exorbitant prices. They were selling tickets of Rs 100 for Rs 1000, Rs 200 tickets for Rs 2000 and Rs 500 tickets for Rs 4,000.
The arrested accused were caught in the act. They were selling tickets for matches to be played on January 19, 24 and 29. Interestingly, of the five arrested, one is a girl student of civil engineering at a university in Bhubaneswar, while the remaining four are businessmen.
It is worth mentioning here that the craze for hockey created by the ongoing FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela has led to a demand for tickets, especially for India matches. Taking advantage of the situation, a few unscrupulous people have engaged in black marketing of tickets.
Talking to the media, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said, “We are investigating the matter and trying to trace other people involved in the black-marketing of Hockey World Cup tickets. Our task would be easier if people who received messages from the wrongdoers come forward and help the police.”
