The Lucknow police have arrested an individual for selling counterfeit World Cup cricket tickets at inflated prices for the highly anticipated match between England and India. Law enforcement has also revealed that approximately 100 other websites are now under investigation, with the cybercrime division of the Lucknow police actively pursuing leads to identify their operators.
The fraudulent ticket sales were conducted through the website iccworldcuptickets.com over the past few weeks. This deceptive website, aimed at deceiving cricket fans, was uncovered by law enforcement, prompting the filing of an FIR against unidentified individuals at the Sushant Golf City police station.
The FIR was lodged by Sub-Inspector Dhirendra Pratap Singh in anticipation of the critical match scheduled for Sunday, according to Joint Commissioner of Police Upendra Agarwal. Providing additional information, Singh explained that the fraudulent website was skillfully designed to lure cricket enthusiasts, despite prior advisories recommending the official ticket booking partner, ‘BookMyShow,’ for purchasing World Cup tickets.
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This design made it easy for people to fall for the scam, disregarding the official guidance. According to Singh, the deceptive websites misled individuals by presenting tickets in six different categories, priced between INR 2,811 and INR 50,000.
Fake tickets for World Cup matches were allegedly being sold on a website – https://t.co/M9gYWbpCFd, which has been operational for the past few weeks. The Lucknow Police unit detected this fake website created to deceive cricket enthusiasts and also lodged an FIR on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/OW0UuK45EX
— Rajeev Mullick (@rmulko) October 26, 2023
In contrast, authentic tickets typically cost Rs 499 for East and West upper blocks, and INR 40,000 for North Corporate boxes. A particular website is advertising rates of INR 25,000 and INR 30,000 for upper and lower row tickets, and INR 85,000 for North Lower hospitality and South Lower hospitality. Law enforcement has initiated an investigation into this counterfeit social media site, according to police officials.
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Prashant Kumar, the Special Director General of Law and Order for the Uttar Pradesh Police stated that both state police special units and the Lucknow police are monitoring suspicious social media accounts engaged in the illicit resale of World Cup cricket tickets for Ekana Stadium. He cautioned that individuals engaged in such actions would face severe consequences.
The police have advised fans to purchase tickets only from the official website, BookMyShow, and to avoid buying tickets from unauthorized sources. They have also warned against falling for scams that promise tickets at discounted prices.
