Probe launched into fake ticket sales at Margao

Police on Monday began interrogation of Goa Cricket Association (GCA) officials over allegations of the sale of `duplicate' tickets for the fifth and final one-day international between India and Australia at Margao on April 6.

The South Goa superintendent of police ID Shukla said GCA secretary Vinod Phadte and treasurer Ramashankar Das have appeared before the police in response to the summons and they were being interrogated. Police had summoned them on Sunday but they did not turn up.

The police had earlier recovered around 10,000 to 20,000 bogus tickets for the game, leading to the sealing of the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) office and an official investigation being launched into the matter.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar told Star News that police were probing the source of these bogus tickets and investigations had found GCA officials as prime suspects since a few thousand fake tickets were recovered from their sealed offices.

"The tickets were printed outside Goa and sold outside Goa. There was no cause of concern till the tickets started circulating the day ahead (April 5) of the match," he said. However, Parikkar ruled out action against anyone until police came up with proof. "Until they (police) prove it, there will be no action taken," he said.

Meanwhile, Cricket Board secretary Jaywant Lele said BCCI was not aware of the fake ticket scam in Margao but said action would be taken by the Board working committee only on the basis of the report by their observer for the match.

"I have no idea (of the irregularities). It is news to me. I was not there. We had observers there and the BCCI working committee will take action on the basis of their report" Lele told Star News.

Lele, who refused to specify on the likely action, however defended officials of the Goa Cricket Association, named as the prime accused in the police investigations. "Why will they (do it)? They are the originators of the tickets." Lele said this was not the first time that such irregularities had happened. "It happened in Bangalore and Pune too and some other places I don't remember."

Police have sealed the Goa Cricket Association office in Panaji as also its temporary office at Nehru stadium. Top officials of the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) were summoned after sealing of their office yesterday and investigation was going on, police said on Sunday.

However, no arrest has been made so far, they added. Duplicate tickets bearing a common code number on all of them were found in the GCA office at Nehru stadium, Fatorda in Margao on the day of the match.

Thousands of ticket holders had to return home disappointed as they were denied entry into the stadium which was packed to its capacity and many had to face the wrath of the police lathi-charge in the chaos that ensued. The political parties in Goa have condemned the incident which they said have brought shame to the Goans and demanded a thorough probe into it.

DIG of police Karnal Singh said around 25,000 duplicate tickets were sold in excess of the capacity of 30,000 as was evident from the crowd of ticket holders outside the ground when the stadium was already packed to capacity. Police pickets have been posted outside the Panaji and Margao offices of GCA to ensure that there was no tampering with the records, he said.