Mumbai

Ahead of the highly-anticipated India vs New Zealand World Cup semifinal, a man has been arrested in Mumbai for allegedly black marketing the tickets at inflated prices. The match is scheduled to take place at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday (Nov 15) and there is a huge demand for tickets. 

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The Mumbai police nabbed an individual named Roshan Gurubakshani who was allegedly selling the tickets for $1,500 (Rs 1,20,000) each, according to an NDTV report.

The authorities recovered two tickets whilst registering a case against him and another man. The police are looking to nab the second accused who was also involved in black marketing of the tickets. 

On Monday (Nov 13), a team from JJ police station arrested another accused named Akash Kothari from his home in Malad in the northern part of the city for the black marketing of tickets. According to WhatsApp messages circulated by Kothari, he was selling tickets in the range of $324 (Rs 27,000) to $3,000 (Rs 2.5 lakh). 

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"He was selling the tickets at four to five times its original cost. He has been charged for cheating and other offences under sections 420 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code," one of the officials was quoted as saying by Times of India. 

Also read | Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller shows support for Indian team at World Cup; wears jersey & tags Virat Kohli

India vs New Zealand match

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India take on New Zealand in the first semifinal after cruising to the knockouts by winning nine consecutive league matches.  The Indian team will take the field to avenge the loss in the 2019 WC semifinal when they were beaten in a rather agonising manner by Wednesday's opponents. 

As for New Zealand, the ever-underdogs of world cricket would hope to get the better of India and entering the finals for a chance to lay hands upon an ICC trophy for the first time in history. 

(With inputs from agencies)