Live concerts have a different kind of frenzy – the crowds, the madness and the competition for the best seats. We are talking about Diljit Dosanjh, whose magic is currently spreading across the world. Fans in Delhi will get a chance to watch two shows of Diljit’s ‘Dil-Luminati World Tour’ in the last week of October.
However, tickets for both concerts have been sold out. In fact, all official tickets were sold out within hours of the ticket counters opening. It is understood the tickets are in high demand on the black market. Delhi Police also arrested a few people for selling fake Diljit tickets.
It’s also clear why Diljit’s shows are in such high demand. He is a global music icon, with people dancing to his music from the UK to France and Germany. As Diljit’s Delhi show gets closer, the battle for tickets ensues. The concert, which will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on October 26 and 27, is officially fully booked. But ticket prices on the black market have skyrocketed.
Aaj Tak’s special investigation team discovered how Diljit’s tickets were being sold in the black market and people were making a lot of money from it.
Our team contacted Arun (not his real name). He was traced in chains and a time was arranged to meet in Sector 74, Noida. As soon as he met Allen, he started talking directly about the issue. He said, “You want six tickets, right? Which one do you want, gold or silver? Both will be accommodated, no problem.” We told him we wanted gold tickets.
He then showed photos of different types of bands on his phone (used as identification to enter the stadium). We asked him if the tickets were genuine. He replied: “The tickets are genuine and the seller is trustworthy.”
We also confirmed with him that the tickets were for the Delhi show on October 26 and not for Chandigarh or Jaipur. Arun assured us that these tickets are for the Delhi show only.
Apparently, “Dil-Luminati” tickets can be purchased on the black market. But the price is very expensive. For example, gold-level tickets with official prices between Rs 4,000 and Rs 9,000 are being sold on the black market for up to Rs 20,000.
The Aaj Tak team is confident that the tickets are genuine but cannot confirm this. After all, there are news about ticket fraud in the name of Diljit and Coldplay every day. These are just some of the people guaranteed to make quick money. When we asked Aaron about the band, he again showed the photos on his phone and asked to understand our concerns.
Aaj Tak’s SIT team also contacted RK (name changed), a taxi operator who is also involved in black marketing of Diljit tickets.
We asked RK how much 6 golden tickets cost. He told us that the total cost was Rs 84,000. When we asked him if he would accept cash payment, RK said any payment method would be fine.
RK said tickets will be sent by mail and will have an ID for reference. When we asked him when we would get the physical tickets, he said they would arrive at our house 10 days before the concert.
He also told us that we could immediately check the reference ID which would indicate that the ticket was registered in our name.
Interestingly, RK also revealed how some people commit fraud in the name of tickets. He explained: “Some people sell hard copies of the same ticket multiple times. It’s like I bought a ticket and sold it ten times. Once it works for you, I sell it ten more times. That’s a scam.”
On October 10, the Delhi High Court issued a notice requesting an investigation into the black market practices of Diljit Dosanjh’s concert tickets. The court has sought replies from the Central government and the Trade and Taxation Department of the Delhi government. But until a commission of inquiry was formed and the investigation began, Diljit’s loyal fans could only enter the stadium by paying huge fees on the black market.
Foreign ticketing websites make huge profits
As the craze for Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati Tour’ continues to grow, so does the black market for tickets. These tickets, which are in huge demand, have been purchased en masse and are now being sold at high prices. The largest source of income is ticketing platforms such as foreign website Viagogo. Here, Diljit’s concert tickets are sold for 10 times more than the original price.
Viagogo acts as a secondary ticket marketplace where people can resell tickets. But there’s a problem – ticket prices are constantly changing based on demand and supply. When demand is high and tickets are few, prices can skyrocket. Viagogo encourages this resale so sellers make a profit and buyers are forced to pay higher prices.
Viagogo charges huge commissions from sellers and also charges additional fees from buyers. So ticket prices rise even more.
People who bought these tickets in India are in the dark as the platforms are based abroad and it is almost impossible for Indian agencies to track them.
Supreme Court lawyer and cyber law expert Anuj Aggarwal said: “It depends on the conditions set by the ticket-issuing authority. Selling or transferring the ticket to another person is generally prohibited in these cases. If someone cannot Go, then he has to get the ticket amount back from the same seller. If a website operates outside India and charges tickets in foreign currency, then the website must be registered in India. If they are not registered, they cannot legally do business in India. . This also makes it difficult to resolve customer complaints and may violate the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Therefore, such websites are not engaged in legal and legal business and their ticket buying can be considered illegal in this case. The family is at risk.
Fans paid more money, but there was no guarantee they would get tickets. Diljit Dosanjh’s Delhi concert will be held in a few weeks. Now, it remains to be seen whether the government will take action or whether black market marketing will continue this way.
