BookMyShow's COO Questioned Over Coldplay Concert Ticket Scam Allegations Amid Consumer Uproar

INDC Network : Mumbai : Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) recently questioned Anil Makhija, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Big Tree Entertainment, regarding the highly controversial Coldplay concert ticketing scam. This investigation follows allegations that the official ticketing platform, BookMyShow, which is owned by Big Tree Entertainment, was involved in a ticket-hoarding conspiracy. The accusations include collaboration with black-market operators, who reportedly sold the tickets at exorbitant rates, leaving Coldplay fans frustrated and out of options.

The inquiry comes after a formal complaint was lodged by lawyer Amit Vyas, who accused BookMyShow of deliberately partnering with resale platforms to artificially inflate ticket prices. The tickets for Coldplay’s January 2025 "Music of the Spheres" world tour concerts in Navi Mumbai were sold out within minutes, leaving fans angry and disappointed. Many were shocked when they discovered tickets being resold on unauthorized platforms like Viagogo for prices reaching hundreds of thousands of rupees.

Seven-Hour Long Interrogation of BookMyShow's COO

According to a police official from EOW, Anil Makhija was interrogated for approximately seven hours. This questioning aimed to unravel the intricate details of the case and determine whether any internal coordination was involved in the alleged ticket hoarding and resale scam. “We asked him about various aspects of the case, and we’re now analyzing the responses to figure out our next steps," said the EOW officer.

While the COO was questioned, the company's CEO, Ashish Hemrajani, was summoned but did not appear, sending Makhija instead. The investigation is part of the broader effort by authorities to uncover whether BookMyShow has violated consumer protection laws and facilitated the mass resale of tickets on platforms that profited at the expense of eager concertgoers.

The Fans’ Dilemma: Sold Out in Minutes, Available in Black Market

The tickets for Coldplay's concert went live at noon on September 22, 2024. Almost immediately, the BookMyShow platform experienced a technical glitch, crashing and preventing many from accessing the tickets. When the platform recovered, the tickets were already sold out, leaving thousands of fans empty-handed. Soon after, these same tickets started appearing on resale websites, with prices surging to astronomical amounts — some reportedly being sold for ₹2,50,000, while the official price had been as low as ₹2,500.

The complaint lodged by Amit Vyas highlights that BookMyShow intentionally made it difficult for genuine fans to purchase tickets by creating bottlenecks in access to the platform. The complaint further alleges that, while fans were being locked out, bulk tickets were secretly made available to resale platforms, thus driving up the resale prices.

BookMyShow’s Response: Denial of Any Wrongdoing

In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for BookMyShow issued a statement strongly denying any involvement with unauthorized ticket resale platforms. The statement emphasized that the company does not have any affiliation with platforms like Viagogo or Gigsberg and that any reselling of tickets was done without their approval.

“BookMyShow does not condone the black-marketing or scalping of tickets, and such practices are punishable under the law,” said the spokesperson. “We are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities and are providing every necessary support in their investigation.”

The company also warned consumers against purchasing tickets from unauthorized sources, stating that any such transactions were at the buyer’s own risk and that these tickets could be either illegal or counterfeit.

Fans’ Frustration and Consumer Outrage

The quick sellout of Coldplay’s concert tickets and the subsequent black-market sales have enraged many fans. On social media, users flooded platforms like X (formerly Twitter) with complaints about the ticketing system’s failure, expressing their frustration with both the ticketing platform and the exorbitant resale prices.

Fans have voiced concerns about missing out on the once-in-a-lifetime experience, with some even calling for a boycott of future events handled by BookMyShow. Many have also asked for stricter regulations and transparency in the ticketing process to prevent such scams in the future.

The Legal Path Ahead

With the investigation ongoing, authorities are continuing to dig deeper into the involvement of both BookMyShow and unauthorized resale platforms in the ticket scam. The next steps include a thorough examination of all evidence provided by Anil Makhija during his interrogation. Whether this will lead to criminal charges remains uncertain, but the case has undoubtedly brought the issue of ticket scalping and black marketing in India to the forefront.

Mumbai Police’s EOW will now analyze the data and responses gathered during the interrogation to decide further action, which could range from summoning other company executives to pressing charges if foul play is detected.

In the meantime, Coldplay fans remain hopeful that some resolution will be found before the concerts, either through the release of more tickets or legal intervention to control resale prices.