Hyderabad Cricket Association member and his son, among four arrested for allegedly selling complimentary T20 match tickets

Four people, including a member of the Hyderabad Cricket Association and his son, were arrested on October 13, 2026, for allegedly running a black market operation to sell complimentary tickets for the fourth T20 International match between India and West Indies, according to Hyderabad Police reports covered by The Times of India and Rediff.

How Goshamahal Police Uncovered the Ticket Ring

The investigation began on October 12, 2026, when a patrolling team from the Goshamahal police station led by Assistant Sub-Inspector V. Janardhan Naik received credible intelligence about the illegal sale of match tickets near SD Mall in Begum Bazaar around 9:30 PM. Responding to the tip, officers apprehended Avinash Darak, 24, and Mohit Somani, 30. Authorities recovered 11 complimentary cricket match passes explicitly stamped with the warning NOT FOR SALE. Alongside the passes, police seized eight passes for the Namdhari Gaurav Navratri Utsav dandiya event, three mobile phones, a Suzuki Access two-wheeler, and ₹5,000 in cash.

Interrogation of the initial suspects exposed a direct pipeline into the state cricket board. According to The Times of India, Darak and Somani confessed they acquired the passes from Akarshit Srivastava. During questioning, Akarshit admitted that his father, Satish Chandra Srivastava, serves as a member of the Hyderabad Cricket Association at the Uppal stadium. Akarshit obtained the cricket match tickets from his father and sold it to Avinash, Goshamahal Police Station Inspector B Sravan Kumar stated, as reported by Rediff. From there, Darak used his brother-in-law Somani to advertise the inventory via WhatsApp status updates and Instagram stories.

Pricing and Legal Charges Against the Accused

Investigators noted that the passes were being peddled for anywhere between ₹3,500 and ₹6,000 each, depending entirely on the pavilion. Police records indicate the syndicate had already managed to offload about nine complimentary tickets before the raid shut down the scheme.

Following the arrests of Satish Chandra Srivastava, Akarshit Srivastava, Darak, and Somani on October 13, The Times of India reported that authorities registered a case under Sections 112(1) for petty organized crime and 318(2) for cheating under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alongside Section 21(gg) of the City Police Act. All four individuals were remanded to judicial custody.

Investigators Audit HCA Passes as Police Warn Resellers

Investigators announced plans to formally write to the Hyderabad Cricket Association to audit how many complimentary passes were originally issued to Satish Chandra Srivastava. Meanwhile, police have issued a stern public advisory urging cricket enthusiasts to avoid unauthorized resellers and report any suspected black market activity immediately. India currently holds a 2-1 lead in the five-match series against West Indies, bringing heightened local demand as the team fights to seal the series in Hyderabad.