In what is considered as one of the most important cricket matches in recent times, action is bound to happen around the venue of the Indo-Pak Twenty20 match. At Cubbon Park which is right opposite the Chinnas-wamy Stadium, touts were seen selling tickets right from 11 in the morning under the very noses of police.
As we walked into the park, a person called Ashiq approached us thinking to be his potential customers. Spotting a cop, he hid behind a vehicle and asked us to meet him at another place. He was selling a ticket priced at `1800 for `4000 and when we tried to bargain, he said it was the ‘best price’ as he had got it from an influential contact.” I have already sold six tickets and I have two more to sell. So hurry up and decide if you want to buy.”
Ashiq claimed that he worked as a waiter and added, “I got the tickets from an ex-player who frequents our club.”
As we walked a little further, two young men spotted us and inquired if we were looking for tickets. One of them said, “I have two invitee passes and I can sell it for `4500 each,” and further said, “We are members of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA)and hence, entitled for the invitee passes. We are using four passes and selling the remaining.”
Well, surprisingly, they were not the only people who were involved in the black marketing of tickets and misuse of passes. Likewise, there were more than 15-20 men in suspiciously moving around the park and looking for potential customers so as to fleece them. And shockingly, they were doing this right in front of the police.
When City Express brought this issue to the notice of the police, they revealed absolute ignorance. An Inspector on duty said, “Show us, where are they? In case someone has approached you with black tickets, lodge a complaint, then action will be taken.”
Another police official said it was difficult to identify people selling black tickets. He added,”There are so many people inside the park. How do we know who is the culprit? In the process, we can’t harass or question the innocent people.”