Police Complaint Filed Against BookMyShow & CAB For Alleged World Cup Ticket Black Marketing

Kolkata Police has reportedly summoned officials from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and an online ticket booking portal in response to a complaint about ticket black marketing for the forthcoming ICC World Cup match between India and South Africa on Sunday.

The notices were sent to both CAB and the online ticket booking portal, asking them to appear on Thursday. However, no representatives from either organisation complied with the summons, a police officer said, as reported by news agency PTI.

On Wednesday, a case was filed at the Maidan Police Station after receiving a complaint from cricket fans, accusing the online portal, along with officials from CAB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), of engaging in ticket black marketing for the India-South Africa match scheduled for Sunday.

“It has been alleged that certain officials of the BCCI, along with officials of the CAB and the online portal BookMyShow, has purposefully put aside a large chunk of the tickets meant for the general public, making those available to the black marketers for the purpose of their personal gains,” a senior police official told the Indian Express.

In response, a senior official from the CAB dismissed these allegations, asserting that their role was solely as hosts for the match and that they were not involved in ticket sales, which were managed by the online portal and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

BookMyShow declined to comment on Inc42’s queries.

Founded in 1999 by Ashish Hemrajani, Parikshit Dhar and Rajesh Balpande, BookMyShow’s cloud-based online ticketing platform for events, movies, sports and plays was launched in 2007. The firm is present in over 650 towns and cities in India.

BookMyShow allows users to book movie tickets from popular multiplexes, including PVR and INOX. The portal also allows customers to book tickets online for sporting events, including IPL, ISL, World Cup, along with music concerts and stand-up events.

Throughout the years, the company has transformed from being solely an online ticketing platform for movies to becoming a comprehensive service provider for the management of live entertainment events, encompassing music concerts, live performances, theatrical productions, sports, and a variety of other offerings.

BookMyShow’s total revenue grew 2.7X to INR 302.9 Cr in the financial year that ended March 31, 2022, compared to the COVID-wrecked FY21. Meanwhile, its total sales (revenue from operations) grew 274% to INR 277 Cr during the period under review from INR 74 Cr a year ago.

This isn’t the first instance where BookMyShow has found itself embroiled in controversies. In September, BookMyShow issued an apology to Trevor Noah’s fans due to a technical glitch that led to the cancellation of both his Bengaluru shows. Despite appearing at Manpho Conventional Centre in Manyata Tech Park, the Emmy-winning US comedian cancelled the performance as the audience couldn’t hear hi

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