After complaint of black marketing of Coldplay tickets, EOW summons CEO of BookMyShow parent company

The band will perform at DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, on January 18, 19, and 21, 2025.

The ticket frenzy for concert tickets caused a stir on social media as several fans failed to secure tickets after waiting in a long virtual queue on BookMyShow. (@coldplay/X)

Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has issued a summons to Ashish Hemrajani, CEO of Big Tree Entertainment Private Limited, along with the company’s technical head, for inquiry in a complaint regarding black marketing of concert tickets of Coldplay, a renowned British rock band.

A senior police officer confirmed the development and said a summons have been issued to Hemrajani as part of the preliminary inquiry (PE) opened in the matter by the agency.

The EOW has asked them to appear before the investigating officer on Saturday to record their statements.

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The police have begun a probe into the matter after an advocate filed a complaint with the EOW regarding the alleged black marketing of tickets for the concert, scheduled in January 2025.

Also Read | Coldplay India tour 2025: BookMyShow crashes minutes before the Mumbai concert tickets go on sale, frustrated fans react

Advocate Amit Vyas had on September 23 filed a complaint with the EOW, making allegations against 23 individuals and entities, including Big Tree Entertainment Private Limited and Hemrajani. The company owns BookMyShow, where the tickets were sold.

The band will perform at DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, on January 18, 19, and 21, 2025. The ticket frenzy for concert tickets caused a stir on social media as several fans failed to secure tickets after waiting in a long virtual queue on BookMyShow.

Advocate Vyas’s complaint filed before EOW seeks FIR against the accused for conspiring with each other with a premeditated intent to wrongly black market the tickets. The complainant claims the alleged fraudulent act cheats and defrauds the general public at large, who are fans of Coldplay.

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“We have opened a PE and will make enquiries to ascertain if a cognisable offence was committed. If the inquiry finds material fit to file a cognisable offence, then the PE will be converted into an FIR. And if no cognisable offence is found, then the complaint will be closed and no action will be taken,” said an EOW officer.

When contacted, the BookMyShow spokesperson said, “At BookMyShow and BookMyShow Live, we’ve worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, providing clear, step-by-step booking guides and maintaining transparent communication through all our official channels. We implemented a queueing system to manage the overwhelming demand and addressed issues caused by suspicious and malicious traffic within minutes, causing a brief delay, but ensuring minimal disruption for genuine fans. Due to the unprecedented demand, a third Mumbai show was added shortly thereafter, which also received a fantastic response.”

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