Railway ticket scam: RPF busts fake agents, recover 5,490 unused tickets valued at Rs 96.99 lakh in 2021

Be careful while booking your train tickets. If you booked your train tickets through unauthorised agents, you might be losing your money as well as ticket too.

Over 15K long-distance passengers have lost money and tickets in 2021 in a cheating scandal by fake agents. WR and CR have seized 5,490 unused (live) tickets valued at Rs 96.99 lakh booked through unauthorised agents in 2021.

These passengers were not able to use their tickets because their tickets were seized and amounts were forfeited by railway. As per railway rules, booking of train tickets through unauthorised agents are not allowed.

Over 15,000 passengers who booked their train tickets through unauthorised agents last year not only lost their money but were also not allowed to travel. According to railway officials, on average, one ticket includes at least three passengers.

Since fake email IDs, as well as contact numbers, were used for the bookings, officials couldn't even reach out to the buyers to tell them that they have been cheated by their agents—it’s most likely that they will learn of this only when they arrive at the stations for their journeys.

If the passengers board the train unwittingly and insist on continuing with their travel plans, the ticket collector can fine them Rs 250 each, besides charging fresh ticket and reservation fees. Even then, there’s no certainty of a hassle-free journey from that point.

If there are no berths available, they can be asked to de-board at the next station owing to stricter rules for travel during Covid-19.

Between January to December 2021, Western and Central Railways seized 5,490 confirmed journey tickets valued at Rs 96.99 lakh.

Of these 3,171 unused confirmed journey tickets belongs to the Mumbai Divisions of both zonal railways.

According to the RPF officials, though the tickets were real, the user IDs used by the accused were unauthorized. Railway officials said that both tickets and IRCTC user IDs were seized because generating railway tickets through fake IDs is a crime under the Railway Act, and all tickets generated on fake IDs or those for selling are seized for investigation.

“We prepare a list of accused and suspects involved in ticket touting and keep track of their activities. This helps us in achieving a higher detection rate,” said PC Sinha, Principal Chief security commissioner of Western Railway.

“Apart from that, we have also formed a special team for gathering information about unauthorised agents. While patrolling platforms and train coaches, members of this team randomly ask passengers about their ticket booking process. If they find any case suspicious, the team members try to gather details about their ticket booking agents,” said Sinha.

The Central and Western Railway also track the booking history of suspicious tickets through a query-based application for verification of IRCTC IDs to detect the cases of illegal e-ticketing with follow-up action.

Recent cases of train tickets seized in Mumbai:

• On December 20, 2021, a special team of RPF apprehended an outsider namely Bhavesh Bharat Thule (28) resident of Shivaji Nagar, near Mukesh Chowk, Nepensi Road, Malabar Hill, Mumbai. During the inquiry, he stated that he books E-ticket through personal User ID (fake names) and sells them to needy passengers on higher commission. Eight unused tickets value at Rs 12,463 and 41 past tickets valued at Rs 45,296 were sized from his office.

• On January 06, 2022, a special team of RPF apprehended an outsider named namely Jagdish Natharam Suthar(31), a resident of Dahisar (W) Mumbai. During the inquiry, Suthar stated that he books E-ticket using 10 Nos personal User IDs (fake names) and sells to needy passengers at a higher premium. Four unused tickets valued at Rs 2,939 and 26 past tickets valued at Rs 32,756 were seized from his office.

• On January 06, 2022, RPF special team apprehended an outsider namely Sanjiv Jha (41), a resident of Nallasopara (E). During the inquiry, he stated that he books E-ticket using 04 Nos personal User IDs (fake names) to sell to needy passengers at a higher premium. Seven unused tickets value at Rs 14,308 and 24 past tickets valued at Rs 50,287 were seized from his possession.

Central Railway

Numbers of unused tickets seized by CR-----2295

Numbers of unused tickets seized by CRs Mumbai Division-----1358

Value of unused tickets seized by CR ---Rs 42.56 lakh

Value of unused tickets seized by CRs Mumbai Division---Rs 26.55 lakh.

Western Railway

Numbers of unused tickets seized by WR-----3195

Numbers of unused tickets seized by WRs Mumbai Central Division-----1813

Value of unused tickets seized by WR ---Rs 54.43 lakh

Value of unused tickets seized by WRs Mumbai Central Division---Rs 33.17 lakh