The highly-anticipated return of award-winning band Coldplay to India has been overshadowed by controversy surrounding concert ticket sales. According to News18, a Mumbai-based lawyer has filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), alleging that ticketing giant BookMyShow and event organizer Live Nation Entertainment are involved in a large-scale ticket scam related to the upcoming India concert.

The allegations are around the ticket sales for the three-day musical event scheduled for January 2025 in Mumbai. Tickets for the event went live on September 22, on BookMyShow. They are the official ticketing partner for the band’s India shows.

Legal woes

As per News18, the lawyer has initiated legal action against BookMyShow over alleged Coldplay ticket scam in India. Now, he is planning to file a PIL before Bombay High Court.

Amit Vyas, the Founder Partner of Vertices Partners, claimed that the platform manipulated the access by either blocking users or forcibly logging them out, and he feels it enabled bots and black-market operators.

In the complaint, he also shared that the tickets which were marked as sold out on the platform, later appeared on resale platforms such Viagogo at a higher price. Amit stressed that it is a “blatant violation of consumer rights and various provisions of Indian Criminal Law”.

Now, EOW has initiated the investigation into the matter.

In the coming days, Amit is planning to file a First Information Report (FIR) under multiple sections, including organised crime, cheating, and criminal conspiracy. He also plans to submit a public interest litigation (PIL) petition before the Bombay High Court with a request to come up with strict guidelines for such large-scale events.

BookMyShow reacts

After the backlash due to the ticket sales, on Tuesday, BookMyShow had issued a statement on X, not only condemning ticket scalping and distancing itself from unauthorized sellers. They also urged fans to avoid purchasing tickets from these platforms, warning of the risk of counterfeit tickets and financial loss.

In its official statement regarding the resale of Coldplay India tour tickets, the platform said, "BookMyShow has no association with any ticket selling/reselling platforms such as Viagogo and Ginsberg or third party individuals for the purpose of reselling of Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India."

The platform added, “We urge you not to fall victim to these scams. Any tickets bought from unauthorised sources will be at the risk of the consumer, and can turn out to be fake tickets. Beware of such scammers.”

About the concert

Coldplay is set to perform at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Sports Stadium in three shows - January 18-19 and 21, as part of the Music Of The Spheres World Tour. The British rock band, which comprises of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion, is known for the chartbusters like Fix You, Viva La Vida, and Hymn for the Weekend. The band enjoys a considerable following in India. The performance will mark their return to India after eight years.

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