Bengaluru police crack down on IPL ticket black market: Two cops among arrested

In a shocking incident of corruption, Bengaluru police arrested two of their own for their involvement in black-market ticket sales for the recent IPL match between RCB and KKR at Chinnaswamy Stadium. Traffic Management Centre control room staff Venkatagiri Gowda and Halasuru traffic constable Ravichandra were caught red-handed near Vijayanagar Park while attempting to sell IPL tickets at exorbitant prices.

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According to reports, these police personnel were caught alongside two others, Shankar and Suresh, trying to sell Rs 1,200 tickets for Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,200 tickets for Rs 8,000. The operation was busted by Govindarajnagar police when Suresh and Shankar approached them offering tickets. Upon being asked for more tickets, they were caught and brought to the station, leading to a full investigation.

Investigations revealed that the arrested cops were obtaining tickets through a senior officer and selling them at inflated prices via Suresh. They even created a separate WhatsApp group for coordinating the illegal sales. Reports suggest that this racket may have generated illegal profits ranging from Rs 80 lakhs to Rs 1 crore from each match.

A formal FIR was registered at Govindarajnagar Police Station, and both Venkatagiri Gowda and Ravichandra have been issued notices to appear for further inquiry. Following the revelations, the West Division DCP has recommended the suspension of both officers pending departmental inquiry.