World Cup 2011: Fake tickets galore in Bangalore black market

Gangsters are cashing in on the cricket fever that has gripped the sub-continent ahead of the World Cup, and are selling tickets for the tournament in the black market. On Tuesday, Bangalore police arrested a man and recovered 80 tickets to the members’ stand from him. His associate, however, escaped arrest.

Umesh Shetty, 23, was arrested while trying to sell the tickets outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Bangalore venue of the tournament.

The recovery, however, has left the police stumped. The members’ stand tickets were sold at the counters. Still, black marketeers managed to get the tickets, and sell them for a higher price.

“No one but the Karnataka State Cricket Association members can get these tickets. We wonder how such a large number of members’ stand tickets are available in the black market. The members can avail the tickets by showing identity cards to the authorities at the stadium or the Karnataka State Cricket Association,” a police officer said, adding that he suspected some members might also be involved in the racket.

An executive member of the Karnataka State Cricket Association said the tickets recovered could be fake, since the game body was yet to get the passes from the Board of Control for Cricket for the match between England and India on February 27.