Man Arrested for Black Marketing T20 World Cup Semi-Final Tickets at Wankhede Stadium

Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch Anti-Extortion Cell has arrested a man for allegedly black marketing tickets for the India–England T20 World Cup semi-final match held at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The accused was reportedly selling match tickets at several times their original price.

The arrested accused has been identified as Zaheer Kamaluddin Bamne (51). According to the police, Bamne was selling a ticket originally priced at ₹1,000 for as much as ₹25,000 in the black market. During the raid, police recovered 10 original tickets of different pavilions of Wankhede Stadium along with a mobile phone from his possession.

The action was taken following a complaint by Dongri resident Jayesh Ramesh Iyer. Iyer and his friends were looking for tickets to watch the semi-final match when they learned that a man named Zaheer Bamne was selling tickets at inflated prices.

When Iyer contacted the accused, Bamne allegedly informed him that the ticket price changed daily and would be significantly higher than the price fixed by the ICC. During a conversation on March 4, the accused demanded ₹25,000 for a single ticket and asked Iyer to meet him near Dockyard Road after making the payment.

Sensing something suspicious, Iyer recorded the conversation and informed Crime Branch Inspector Arun Thorat. Acting on the complaint, the Anti-Extortion Cell laid a trap to catch the accused. Police handed Iyer bundles of dummy currency notes with genuine ₹500 notes placed on the top and bottom.

As per the plan, when Bamne arrived near Gani Building close to Nawab Hayat Masjid at Dockyard Road and attempted to hand over 10 tickets in exchange for the money, the Crime Branch team, present in plain clothes, apprehended him on the spot.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that he had already sold eight tickets in the black market. Police are now investigating the source of the tickets and whether a larger racket is involved.

A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Maharashtra Police Act, and the Maharashtra Entertainment Duty Act, and further investigation is underway.