Amit Vyas, Founder Partner of Vertices Partners, has taken legal action against BookMyShow and Live Nation Entertainment, alleging a large-scale ticketing scam surrounding the much-anticipated Coldplay concert in Mumbai.
The issue concerns ticket sales for Coldplay’s concerts scheduled for January 18, 19, and 21, 2025, at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Vyas has filed a criminal complaint with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Mumbai on behalf of Coldplay fans across India, accusing the ticketing platforms of unethical practices that prevented genuine fans from purchasing tickets when sales opened on September 22 at noon.
The complaint alleges that BookMyShow manipulated the process by logging users out or blocking access, allowing ticket bots and black-market operators to dominate the sales. It claims that tickets were marked as sold out on BookMyShow, only to reappear shortly after on resale platforms like Viagogo at inflated prices, ranging from 30 to 50 times the original value. This sparked outrage among fans and raised suspicions of collusion between the platforms and resellers.
Vyas further alleges that key decision-makers at BookMyShow and Live Nation were involved in orchestrating the scheme. He claims the manipulation of digital queues and the use of bots violated consumer rights and breached Indian criminal law. As a result, Vyas is seeking an FIR under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including charges of organized crime, cheating, criminal conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust.
In addition to the criminal complaint, Vyas intends to file a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Bombay High Court to establish regulatory guidelines for large-scale events and prevent such fraudulent activities in the future.
