Hyderabad Police have arrested four people, including a member of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), for selling free passes for the fourth T20I between India and the West Indies at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
The accused, identified as HCA member Satish Chandra Srivastava, his son Akarshit Srivastava, Avinash Darak and Mohit Somani, were arrested after police got information about the alleged sale of tickets near SD Mall in Begum Bazar on October 12.
A police team led by Assistant Sub-Inspector V Janardhan Naik apprehended Darak and Somani at around 9 pm. Besides the cricket passes, officers seized eight passes for a Navratri Dandiya event, Rs 5,000 in cash, mobile phones and a two-wheeler.
According to police, Darak and Somani allegedly said that they got the tickets from Akarshit and sold them at inflated prices by advertising them on WhatsApp, with the ticket prices ranging from 3500 to 6000 each, depending on the seating. Akarshit allegedly obtained the passes from his father before handing them to Darak for sale with Somani’s assistance.
The four accused were arrested on October 13 and remanded to judicial custody. Police registered a case under Sections 112(1) and 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 21(gg) of the City Police Act. The police also urged the fans to purchase match tickets only through official channels and report any black-marketing attempt, while also warning against buying and selling tickets marked as not for sale.
A Fascinating Contest Awaits
The series has been a thriller, with India leading the series 2-1. India won the first T20I without breaking a sweat before West Indies pulled off a record 250 run chase. The third T20I was also a high-scoring bout, but India held their nerves to defend 223 by 14 runs. The fourth T20I is a must win for West Indies, but India will also leave no stone unturned to win this and seal the series as they would not want to go into the final match with series on the line.