GURGAON : Four people, including a top official of the company organising the Metallica concert here, were sent to six days’ police custody after being arrested early Saturday on charges of cheating and breach of trust, officials said. The administration has also seized the Rs 1 crore security money deposited by the firm.
DNA Entertainment Networks, the event management company organising the concert, had on Friday cancelled the event at the last moment. Over 25,000 fans had gathered at the Leisure Valley Park here in Sector 29 to watch the concert, the opener for the ‘F1 Rocks’ series of performances for the Formula-1 race event at Greater Noida.
Upset over the cancellation, the fans had vandalised the stage and broke down barricades. Technical equipment, too, were destroyed as they threw chairs at the LED wall.
Police registered a case against DNA Entertainment Networks on the complaint of Gurgaon-resident Chanderpal Yadav, who had paid Rs 1 lakh for 10 tickets.
Rajesh Kumar, the general manager of DNA Networks, was arrested along with team members Umesh Chinara, Ashok Singh and Savio Faleiro, Gurgaon Sector 29 Station House Officer Jagdish Prasad said.
They were arrested under Section 406 (breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, Prasad said.
The four were presented in the court of magistrate Ashok Mann Saturday evening. Police had demanded 15 days’ custody for them, but the court agreed for six days’ remand.
Deputy Commissioner Police (east) Maheshwar Dayal said: “Some more arrests may be possible.”
“The tickets for the show were priced at Rs.10,000 (first class), Rs.2,750 and Rs.1,750. The fans had come from many cities and also countries like Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Indonesia and Singapore.
“Although there was no sitting arrangement at the venue, people were charged for first, second and third class, out of an estimated 30,000 tickets sold. More than 8,000 tickets were sold for the first class itself, which means they cheated fans of more than Rs.8 crore,” Dayal added.
Meanwhile, the district administration has begun the process to blacklist the company.
Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate P C Meena said: “We have served notice to DNA Entertainment to provide us a detailed payment refund plan in three days. We have also seized Rs 1 crore, the corporate guarantee money deposited by the company.”
The four-member American band, among the most famous heavy metal bands in the world, was to Friday stage its first ever performance in India.
Metallica is slated to perform in Bangalore on Sunday.
Musharraf power theft scandal case: Low level workers punished
Islamabad, Sep 17 (ANI): The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) has only punished 64 junior officers for their involvement in the power theft scandal involving former President Pervez Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz and others in the luxurious Chak Shahzad farmhouses.
The big guns in the electricity department have not even been touched, according to well-placed sources.
The list of punished employees includes 35-meter readers, 14 line superintendents and 15 sub-divisional officers, The News reports.
Sources said these personnel were those who had to implement the orders of the higher-ups and no high-ranking official has been touched in the order passed by Iesco on 10-9-2009.
The official spokesman for Iesco, Ameer Hussain Chaman, when asked about the punishment, said he was not aware of any such punishments.
“I have not been conveyed any such details, therefore, I cannot offer any comment over the issue,” he added.
Sources said Colonel Umer Hayat was conducting the inquiry and on 9-9-2009 his tenure was completed and on 10-09-2009 these personnel were punished.
They say that in this power-theft scandal the higher-ups passed all the orders and the junior officers had no option, but to obey the orders.
It is worth mentioning here that Musharraf had constructed a modern house on the farm obtained for breeding poultry and vegetables, but the ex-general has been enjoying the cheapest power tariff, D-2(1) connection, which is meant for agriculture tube wells and lift irrigation pumps. (ANI)