The lucrative business of black marketing cricket match tickets in Ranchi has been brought into sharp focus with a swift police action. Authorities have arrested three individuals engaged in the illegal sale of tickets for an international cricket match just ahead of the game. However, the investigation is now probing deeper, pointing towards corruption within the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) as the source of these leaked tickets. The question remains: which JSCA insiders are complicit in providing tickets for the black market?
Concerns about the unfair distribution of match tickets were echoed by former Chief Minister Arjun Munda on social media. Reports suggest a chaotic and arbitrary system for ticket allocation. Adding a bizarre twist to the scandal, passes designated for the media have also reportedly gone missing, failing to reach accredited journalists. The responsibility for distributing these crucial passes appears to lie with two specific officials. Jaykumar Sinha, a former cricket coach, has been identified by media representatives as the person ultimately in charge of allocating media passes. Sanjay Pandey is the other name surfacing, with JSCA insiders stating that he determined the quantity and distribution plan for media accreditation.
In a targeted operation based on intelligence, a dedicated police unit from Dhurwa Police Station apprehended three suspects. They were caught in possession of 13 tickets from various price brackets. Police sources confirm that the operation was supervised by Vimal Kindo, the officer in charge of the Dhurwa Police Station. The seized tickets, worth thousands of rupees, included denominations of Rs 1200, Rs 1600, and Rs 1700. During initial questioning, the arrested individuals admitted to working collaboratively to exploit the system. It is alleged that they bribed workers and assistants at the official ticket counters to secure additional tickets, which were then sold to fans at exorbitant prices, often two to three times the original cost. The investigation is currently sidestepping the crucial question of how these individuals acquired the tickets in the first place.
Following the confessions, an official police report has been filed, naming ten additional individuals suspected of involvement, including Vishal Chikky, Jitendra Jaiswal, Amit Tobo, Santosh Kumar, Ritik Singh, Manish Kumar, and Sumit. Law enforcement is actively pursuing these other suspects for arrest. The JSCA stadium area had been a hotspot for ticket scalping complaints. Despite previous warnings issued by the authorities, many ardent cricket fans found themselves forced to pay significantly higher prices for tickets.