An International ticket tout – arrested at Heathrow Airport with 60 Champions League final tickets he illegally sold – has been fined £1,000.
Police from the Met’s Operation Podium team were waiting for Sanjas Malhorta, 44, when he stepped off a plane from Oslo, Norway on May 23 and he was immediately held in custody.
He was delivering pre-sold UEFA tickets to his customers who then missed the game because they bought via an unauthorised source.
At Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court the next day Malhorta pleaded guilty to selling tickets to a designated football match without authority and was fined and the tickets confiscated.
The Operation Podium Team is the dedicated unit set up to tackle serious and organised crime affecting the Olympic economy.
The investigation is part of activity to target and disrupt ticketing crime ahead of the Games.
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Downing, leading Operation Podium said: “Malhortra has taken large sums of money for tickets that he was not entitled to sell, resulting in fans who will now be denied the opportunity to see the game on Saturday.
“Ticket touting is an illegal business run by people to gain financially through the exploitation of clubs and genuine fans.
“As soon as people buy from an unofficial source - whether a tout or an unofficial website - they run the risk of paying over the odds for a ticket that they may not receive, not get to see the event that they had paid for, or even risk having their personal details stolen for use in other crimes.
“Don't let this happen to you. Only visit official sites for a list of genuine sellers who are authorised to sell legitimate tickets.”
No comments:
Post a Comment