Chandigarh As Chandigarh bristles with anticipation and anxiety for the do-or-die semi-final clash with Pakistan Wednesday, the local police are quietly about their way fortifying the city as well as weeding out all those who are making the moolah in blackmarket ticketing.
The Chandigarh Police late on Sunday night rounded up a software engineer, who was selling Rs 250-each tickets for Rs 24,000 on an online shopping website.
The engineer, Mandeep Singh Bhangu, has been arrested. Five Rs 250 tickets were recovered from this engineer who has recently returned from England after completing his education.
The police nabbed him after posing as prospective buyers. the cyber cell responded to the online advertisement and offered a bid of Rs 90,000 for the five tickets. They left behind a phone number for him to contact.
Within minutes, a cyber cell official said, Singh called back and started haggling over the price. Still in disguise, the police asked him to come down to Sector 11 with the tickets. This son of a retired Major Subedar walked right into their trap.
In-charge cyber cell Neeraj Sarna later said: “Blackmarketing is at an all-time high now.”
Meanwhile, unprecedented security has descended like a blanket on Mohali, the seat of Wednesday's showdown.
With both India and Pakistan premiers in attendance, the security was expected. The National Security guard (NSG) and the Special Protection Group (SPG) are in charge of the arrangements. There will be nearly 2,000 securitymen in and around the Mohali stadium.
Mohali has already been declared a no-fly zone. There will also be anti-aircraft guns positioned strategically in the city. Nobody is allowed to enter the stadium after 1.30 pm, the organisers said.
The VVIPs will be seated in 350 seats in a special enclosure.
The Chandigarh Police late on Sunday night rounded up a software engineer, who was selling Rs 250-each tickets for Rs 24,000 on an online shopping website.
The engineer, Mandeep Singh Bhangu, has been arrested. Five Rs 250 tickets were recovered from this engineer who has recently returned from England after completing his education.
The police nabbed him after posing as prospective buyers. the cyber cell responded to the online advertisement and offered a bid of Rs 90,000 for the five tickets. They left behind a phone number for him to contact.
Within minutes, a cyber cell official said, Singh called back and started haggling over the price. Still in disguise, the police asked him to come down to Sector 11 with the tickets. This son of a retired Major Subedar walked right into their trap.
In-charge cyber cell Neeraj Sarna later said: “Blackmarketing is at an all-time high now.”
Meanwhile, unprecedented security has descended like a blanket on Mohali, the seat of Wednesday's showdown.
With both India and Pakistan premiers in attendance, the security was expected. The National Security guard (NSG) and the Special Protection Group (SPG) are in charge of the arrangements. There will be nearly 2,000 securitymen in and around the Mohali stadium.
Mohali has already been declared a no-fly zone. There will also be anti-aircraft guns positioned strategically in the city. Nobody is allowed to enter the stadium after 1.30 pm, the organisers said.
The VVIPs will be seated in 350 seats in a special enclosure.
