Posts share bogus tickets to Sri Lanka luxury hotel opening

"Sharuk brother, see you then. Let's meet on that day," reads a Sinhala-language Facebook post shared July 4, 2025, referring to the immensely popular Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan (archived link).

The post includes an image of a ticket bearing Khan's photo alongside text that says, "City of Dreams. Shar Kuh Khan to attend the opening of South Asia's integrated resort. Colombo."

The pass is apparently priced at 20,000 Sri Lankan rupees (67 US dollars).  

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Screenshot of the false post taken July 7, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

Similar claims surfaced on Facebook after the City of Dreams announced Khan will be a special guest at the opening of the luxury resort in the capital Colombo on August 2 (archived link).

Local media organisation Fact Crescendo earlier fact-checked the circulating posts (archived link).

The event is "strictly by invitation only", according to the hotel in a statement released July 4 in response to the false posts (archived link).

"No third parties are authorized to issue, distribute, or sell tickets," it said.

"We strongly advise everyone to exercise caution and avoid engaging with unofficial sources."

An inspection of the circulating image found Khan's name has been wrongly written as, "Shar Kuh Khan".

Other important details including the date and venue of the event are also missing from the purported ticket.

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Screenshot of the image, with mistakes highlighted by AFP

AFP has previously debunked posts sharing fake tickets here, here and here.