Coldplay India 2025 concert: BookMyShow might cancel tickets sold through unauthorised channels, files FIR

A couple of days back, tickets for iconic band Coldplay's concert went up for sale on BookMyShow. However, the tickets were sold out within a few minutes of being listed and a lot of people took to social media to share their experiences. While some managed to get the tickets to one of the most-anticipated concerts in India, others were disappointed. Shortly after this, there were reports of tickets being bought and sold in black, for much higher prices. Social media was then rife with discussions about scalpers, and how they are hoarding tickets to sell them at higher prices. Now, BookMyShow has filed an FIR for black marketing of Coldplay's tickets.

According to an ANI report, the company has taken legal action against unknown scalpers involved in the reselling of tickets for Coldplay's "Music Of The Spheres World Tour " in India. The online ticket platform filed an FIR with the Mumbai Police on October 2, accusing scalpers of black market activity surrounding tickets for the band's highly anticipated shows in January 2025 at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The FIR was registered at Vile Parle Police Station, with the Mumbai Police charging the accused under sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), as well as section 66(C) of the Information Technology Act. Investigations are currently underway to identify those involved in the unauthorised resale of concert tickets.

The issue arose when BookMyShow, which opened ticket sales for the concert on September 22, received emails from two people who claimed to have secured tickets for others in exchange for money. Several WhatsApp messages were also sent to BookMyShow requesting additional tickets, which the platform ignored. BookMyShow had clearly warned buyers against purchasing tickets from third-party sources, yet scalping activities persisted.

In response to these concerns, the ticketing company lodged a complaint with the police on September 23, well before the formal FIR was filed. BookMyShow's spokesperson said the company remains committed to combating ticket reselling and is cooperating with the authorities to investigate all instances of illegal sales, including those on social media platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as digital reselling platforms like Viagogo and Stubhub.

"In its ongoing fight against ticket scalping and black marketing of tickets for Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India, BookMyShow has lodged a formal FIR (First Information Report) on October 2, 2024. This action follows our initial complaint filed proactively with the Mumbai Police on September 23, 2024, addressing these concerns much before any formal complaint was raised against us. BookMyShow's FIR filed with the Mumbai police also urges authorities to investigate the unauthorised resale of tickets by individuals and platforms.

"We have provided details of all resellers that have come to our attention, including independent individuals reselling tickets for this tour across social media platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp and beyond, as also digital platforms such as Viagogo, Stubhub Holdings and more, to aid authorities in a thorough investigation," a statement from the company read.

The platform is also reportedly considering cancelling tickets that have been sold through unauthorised channels and reiterated its strong opposition to illegal ticket resale.

"Our stance remains clear and unchanged - BookMyShow vehemently condemns and opposes ticket reselling which is deemed illegal and is punishable by law in India. BookMyShow has no association with any such unauthorised ticket selling/reselling platforms and/or any third party individuals/platforms for the purpose of reselling Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India," a company spokesperson said as per ANI.

BookMyShow had also posted a statement on Instagram last month, saying that scalping of tickets is punishable by law in India and that people should stay safe from scammers.

"Scalping is strictly condemned and punishable by law in India. We have filed a complaint with the police authorities and will provide complete support to them in investigation of this matter. We urge you not to fall victim to these scams. Any tickets bought from unauthorised sources will be at risk of consumer and can turn out to be fake tickets. Beware of such scammers," the statement had read.

Coldplay is set to perform three shows in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19, and 20, 2025, as part of their world tour.