ED lodges money-laundering case in tickets sale 'scam' in Coldplay, Diljit concerts, conducts raids

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said it has detected alleged irregularities after it conducted raids in a money laundering case to probe "black marketing" of tickets for two "highly anticipated" music concerts by British rock band Coldplay and actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh.

The searches were undertaken on Friday at 13 locations in five states -- Delhi, Maharashtra (Mumbai), Rajasthan (Jaipur), Karnataka (Bengaluru) and Punjab (Chandigarh) -- after the federal investigation agency filed a criminal case under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

While the 'Dil-Luminati' concert by Dosanjh is scheduled to be held over the weekend on October 26-27 at the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) stadium in the national capital, the Coldplay event 'Music of the Spheres World Tour' is slated for January 2025 at Navi Mumbai.

The ED said in a statement that it initiated an investigation after numerous reports emerged that individuals and fans were being "deceived/cheated" through "fraudulent" ticket sales after the rapid sellout of entry passes.

The agency took cognisance of multiple police FIRs filed in the case across the country, including one filed by online ticket booking portal BookMyShow, against several suspects "believed to be exploiting concert-goers." The FIR alleges that these individuals engaged in selling counterfeit tickets and drastically inflated prices, taking advantage of the high demand for these coveted concerts, the ED said.

It said these concerts were an "electrifying" and "highly anticipated" announcement for music enthusiasts across India.

Both events, it said, generated immense excitement and official ticketing partners like BookMyShow and Zomato Live reported that tickets were sold out in just minutes on their platforms, which "ultimately led to black-marketing of tickets at exorbitant prices." Many fans have discovered that they were sold fake tickets or charged exorbitant prices for legitimate ones, the agency said.

"Searches and investigation conducted by ED has revealed information regarding multiple individuals known for providing such tickets, including fake tickets through social media using Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram," the agency said.

The ED said several "incriminating" materials in the form of mobile phones, laptops, SIM cards, etc. used in the ticket sales "scam" were seized during the raids.

The searches were aimed at investigating the illegal sales of tickets, financial networks supporting these scams, and tracing the proceeds of crime generated from such illegal activities, it said.

In a related development, the Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the response of the Centre on a plea seeking a regulatory framework to regulate the re-sale of these concert tickets through authorised platforms.

A bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notice to Union ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Electronics, and Information Technology, private entities Stubhub Inc, Viagogo Entertainment Inc and Bigtree Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

The court said the replies would have to be filed within four weeks and posted the hearing for February 18, 2025. The HC is hearing pleas on alleged irregularities in ticket sales for both these concerts.