Dijlit Dosanjh Concert Delhi: Diljit’s Date with Dilli How concert ticket scalping is fueling the frenzy

There’s something about live music concerts: the crowds, the frenzy and the rush to grab the best available seats. We are talking about the Diljit Dosanjh madness that is sweeping the world. Fans in Delhi will be treated to two shows from the Punjabi singer and film star’s Dil-Luminati world tour in the last week of October.

However, tickets for both concerts are already sold out. In fact, all official tickets disappeared a few hours after the sales counters opened. It turns out there is a huge black market for these tickets. Delhi Police have already arrested people for selling fake Diljit concert tickets.

The reason for the huge demand for Diljit’s show is quite obvious. He is a global music icon and makes the whole world dance to his tunes, from the United Kingdom to France to Germany. And as Diljit’s date with Dilli draws near, there’s a mad rush for his concert tickets.

Scheduled for October 26 and 27 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the capital, the concert is officially sold out. But on the black market, ticket sales are exploding.

India Today’s special investigation team has uncovered how black market dealers are making big money by scalping Diljit tickets.

Our team got in touch with Arun (name changed) through a contact chain, and he fixed a meeting in Noida’s Sector 74.

After meeting him, Arun immediately got to work. “You need six tickets, don’t you. Which ones do you want: gold or silver? I can arrange both, no problem. Both are available,” he offered. We told him we were interested in Gold category tickets.

He then showed us photos of the different bracelets (which serve as identification to enter the stadium) on his cell phone. We asked him if the tickets would be authentic. “The tickets are authentic, and the person selling them is also authentic,” he joked.

We wanted to be sure that the tickets offered were for the October 26 show in Delhi, and not another venue like Chandigarh or Jaipur. Arun assured us that the tickets would be for the Delhi show only.

Certainly, “Dil-Luminati” tickets are available, but at a huge cost. For example, Gold category tickets officially priced between Rs 4,000 and Rs 9,000 cost up to Rs 20,000 on the black market.

India Today’s special investigation team was assured that the notes were genuine. But we couldn’t know that. After all, many scams in the name of Diljit and Coldplay concert tickets were being reported daily.

It was just insurance from a few young men wanting to make some quick money. We asked Arun what the bangles looked like. He showed us the photos on his cell phone and also added that he understood our apprehensions.

SIT India Today also contacted RK (name changed), a taxi driver in Delhi, who was also moonlighting as a Diljit Dosanjh concert ticket seller.

We asked RK how much he would charge for the six Gold tickets we wanted to buy. He said it would cost Rs 84,000. We then asked him if he would accept cash. RK said he was ok with the payment method we wanted to make.

RK explained that the tickets would be delivered by courier and would include identification for reference. We asked RK when we would receive the physical tickets. He said the tickets would arrive 10 days before the concert at our home.

He assured us that we could check the reference ID immediately and the tickets would be registered in our name.

Interestingly, RK also revealed how fraudsters scammed fans to make money. “Some people sell paper copies of the same ticket multiple times. For example, I bought a ticket, I sold it ten times, I sold you one, and once it works for you, I resell the same ticket ten times, that’s the scam,” he explained.

On October 10, the Delhi High Court issued a notice seeking a probe into ticket scalping during the sale of Diljit Dosanjh’s concert. The court also sought responses from the Center and the Delhi government’s commerce and taxation department. But until an inquiry committee is formed and the investigation begins, Diljit’s die-hard fans will pay dearly to enter the stadium.

HOW FOREIGN TICKET WEBSITES MAKE DOLLARS

With the growing hype around Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati Tour’, ticket scalping is increasing. Tickets for the event, in high demand, appear to have been purchased in bulk and are being resold at inflated prices to make a profit, at the expense of the public. And it’s the ticketing platforms that rake in the big money. Like this foreign ticketing site Viagogo. Here, Diljit concert tickets are being resold at 10 times the original price.

Viagogo functions as a secondary ticket marketplace: a platform on which individuals can resell their tickets. But here’s the thing: ticket prices fluctuate based on supply and demand.

When demand is high and tickets are limited, prices can skyrocket. Viagogo facilitates this resale, allowing sellers to take advantage of desperate buyers willing to pay a premium.

Viagogo charges sellers a hefty commission and imposes additional fees on buyers, driving ticket prices even higher.

Not only are these tickets being sold at exorbitant rates, Indian authorities are also ignoring the sellers and buyers.

Most of these ticketing platforms operate overseas, making it almost impossible to track Indian agencies.

Anuj Agarwal, Supreme Court lawyer and cyber law expert, says, “It depends on the terms and conditions set by the entity issuing the tickets. These terms are like contracts, they generally will not allow anyone else to resell or transfer these tickets, even at the same price.

If someone can’t make it, they will need to request a refund from the original seller. As for a website operating from India and trying to get the ticket money in foreign currency, it will first need to register in India. And if they don’t, they can’t operate in India and benefit from domestic consumers. Because then there is no recourse mechanism for customers and it could also violate FEMA, the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

So, these websites are not doing legal activities per se and these tickets may be considered invalid. Buyers take risks with such websites.

Not only do fans pay more, but there is no guarantee if or when they will get the tickets. A few weeks before the Diljit Dosanjh concert in Delhi, will the authorities act or will black marketing continue unchecked?