Another ex-cricketer summoned in ticket scandal

Black marketeers arrested by cops claim they worked for former Mumbai Ranji player and he sent them to Bangalore to sell ticketsu00a0

The controversial black market ticket scandal, allegedly involving several well-known personalities, during the World Cup matches in the city seems to be a difficult issue to push under the carpet. Adding to the controversy, former secretary of Mumbai Cricket Association and Ranji Trophy player, Mayank Khandelwal is in the dock for alleged involvement in similar activities.


One please! Mayank Khandelwal allegedly managed to procure around
500 tickets using his clout and employed salespersons to make a quick
buck. Representation pic

Mumbai to B'lore
During the India-Ireland match on Sunday, the Cubbon Park police arrested two people from Mumbai selling tickets in black outside the Chinnaswamy stadium. Cops also seized 150 tickets of Rs 2,000 denomination from their possession.

Following a detailed enquiry, the duo claimed that they worked for Khandelwal who had sent them to Bangalore to sell the tickets. They also revealed that Khandelwal managed to procure around 500 tickets using his clout and employed salespersons to make a quick buck.

Please explain
"We have summoned Khandelwal to explain his role in the racket," DCP G Ramesh said, adding that investigations are on to ascertain how he managed to get 500 tickets. "We suspect the role of others in this scam and will investigate further," he added.

Ramesh also hinted that the police are taking on the menace of black marketing with a tough approach this time. According to officials, Khandelwal started a travel agency, which is associated with the Indian Cricket Council, after his tenure as a cricketer. Meanwhile the duo was produced in court and was remanded to judicial custody.

More arrests
In a separate incident, Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths arrested another 10 people for selling tickets in black. According to the police, they have recovered 45 tickets ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 3,000, including several complimentary passes.

The modus operandi of those arrested according to police, was to purchase multiple tickets at counters through associates and then sell the same at exorbitant rates. The police have also seized a cash amount of Rs 33,450 from the accused and remanded them to judicial custody.

Crackdown continues...
Continuing the crackdown on betting rackets, Upparpet police nabbed a garment shop owner along with four associates and recovered Rs 69,000. According to the police Kamlesh, who owns Lalit Garment shop at Alankar Plaza, was accepting bets from clients, ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000 during the India-Ireland match.