By NIKOLE JAVIER
Three persons selling overpriced tickets for Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven finals series were apprehended by authorities on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Three suspects were arrested by Quezon City Police District (QCPD) officers a day before the big game, but two of them managed to flee during the operation.
With Ginebra on the cusp of winning its 15th title in the league at the expense of the visiting Bay Area side, a huge crowd is expected to fill the arena to its full capacity once again.
As early as Monday, though, a lot of fans complained that tickets sold out pretty quickly before they could get their hands on them.
As a result, the PBA has alerted the QCPD about the hoarded number of tickets being sold five to 10 times their original price.
A day before the game, the QCPD launched an entrapment operation, with one of the operatives posing as a buyer.
It was found that upper box seats costing P230 were being sold for P500 up to P1,000 while the P650 Patron C seat ticket for P2,800.
During the entrapment, two of the three ticket sellers managed to get away, leaving their companion behind, according to the operatives.
However, at around 4 p.m. the same day, 50 tickets were retrieved and the suspects were fined P5,000 for violating City Ordinance SP-2744 or anti-scalping measure.
Commissioner Willie Marcial thanked PBGen Nicolas Torre, head of QCPD, for his swift action.
