Undercover Police officers, posing as East Bengal Club supporters, arrest Ticket Black Marketeers before Durand Finals

• Kolkata experiences high demand for derby match tickets between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, and several tend to use this as an opportunity to black tickets
• Kolkata Police's posing as East Bengal supporters, arrest four ticket black marketeers near East Bengal Club
• The arrested individuals were found selling tickets for the Durand Final at inflated prices and were already known for previous involvement in ticket scalping

With the excitement of the derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan gripping the district of Kolkata, ticket demand has reached a fever pitch. Supporters from both clubs have been lining up outside their respective club offices, some even spending the night, in the hopes of securing a ticket for the highly anticipated match.

However, amidst this fervor, reports of a thriving black market for derby tickets at exorbitant prices have emerged. To tackle this issue, the Kolkata Police took swift action, apprehending four individuals involved in the illicit ticket trade. The arrests occurred near the East Bengal Club late on a Saturday night.

The police operation was initiated after receiving information that tickets for the Durand Final, a prestigious football event, were being sold at inflated prices near the East Bengal Club on Leslie Claudius Sarani of Maidan. Undercover officers, posing as East Bengal Club supporters, successfully identified and arrested four individuals engaged in ticket scalping.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Ajay Seth, Mushir Ahmed, Omprakash Seth, and Mohammed Rashid. Notably, their names were already registered with the police for their involvement in ticket scalping, particularly for cricket matches at the Eden Gardens, a historic cricket ground situated at Maidan.

This crackdown on ticket black marketeers aims to ensure that genuine supporters have fair access to tickets for the upcoming derby, preventing scalpers from profiteering at the expense of passionate football fans.