Mysuru: Seven Gold Cards for Mysuru Dasara were advertised for sale on Instagram, raising suspicions of black-market trading.

A youth operating an Instagram page under the name ‘Tilak 76’ posted a photograph of seven Gold Cards and advertised that Dasara passes were available yesterday. He claimed only a few were left and asked interested buyers to contact a WhatsApp number mentioned in the post.

The Mysuru District Administration sells Gold Cards and tickets for the Jumboo Savari procession through official channels. The Instagram post appeared to offer the cards for private sale.

When Star of Mysore tried calling the number given in the post, the phone was switched off. The post was deleted within minutes. The Police have warned of strict action against those selling Dasara Gold Cards, passes and tickets in the black market. How the youth came to possess seven Gold Cards, each meant for one person, remains unclear.

City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar said that the person who posted the advertisement was from Hassan. The Hassan Police have been informed and are gathering details about him.

Mysuru City Police are also investigating the matter.