HCA member among four arrested for selling 'NOT FOR SALE' passes for India-West Indies T20I

Hyderabad Police arrested Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) member Satish Chandra Srivastava and three others on October 13 after seizing 11 complimentary match passes marked "NOT FOR SALE" ahead of the fourth India-West Indies T20I at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal.

The case emerged after Goshamahal Police received information on October 12 about alleged ticket sales near SD Mall in Begum Bazar; the accused have been identified as Satish Chandra Srivastava, his son Akarshit Srivastava, Avinash Darak and Mohit Somani. A police team led by Assistant Sub-Inspector V Janardhan Naik detained Darak and Somani at around 9 pm, and officers also seized eight passes for a Navratri Dandiya event, Rs 5,000 in cash, mobile phones and a two-wheeler.

Darak and Somani allegedly told investigators they obtained the complimentary cricket passes from Akarshit and were advertising them for sale on WhatsApp and Instagram at inflated prices. Police say Akarshit procured the passes from his father, Satish Chandra Srivastava, and that the four accused had allegedly sold around nine complimentary tickets.

Goshamahal Inspector B Sravan Kumar said "the tickets were allegedly being sold for Rs 3,500 to Rs 6,000 each, depending on the pavilion."

The four were arrested on October 13 and remanded to judicial custody; police registered a case under Sections 112(1) and 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 21(gg) of the City Police Act. The investigation into the alleged black-marketing of passes is ongoing.

Authorities have urged fans to purchase match tickets only through authorised channels and to report suspected black-marketing, and warned that buying or selling complimentary passes marked "NOT FOR SALE" could invite legal action.

The arrests came ahead of the fourth T20I in the five-match series, with India leading 2-1; a win in Hyderabad would give the hosts an unassailable lead, while the West Indies will aim to level the series before Saturday's final match in Bengaluru.

Police said they will write to the HCA to establish how many passes were issued to Satish Chandra Srivastava.