Norwegian was caught with 60 tickets for sold out UEFA match

A Norwegian tout has been fined for illegally selling tickets for the UEFA Champions League Final which take place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Sanjas Malhorta was arrested at Heathrow Airport last week as he flew into the UK from Oslo with 60 tickets for the match.

Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court heard he was caught following an investigation by officers from Operation Podium, the Met’s specialist team that tackles serious and organised crime affecting the Olympic economy.

The 44-year-old admitted selling tickets to a designated football match without authority and was fined �1,000.

The tickets have been seized leaving Malhorta’s customers out of pocket.

Tickets for the Manchester United V Barcelona sell out match are so in demand that they are exchanging hands for thousands of pounds.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Downing 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.”

Police are warning football fans not to travel to Wembley unless they have a ticket.