Looking at the tremendous rush in long distance trains this summer, the railway police are working overtime to catch touts and unscrupulous elements who illegally generate tickets and sell them. Since April 1, both Central Railway and Western Railway are registering cases and caught hold of touts involved in this. On a daily basis, more than 5 lakh people are travelling on long-distance trains departing from Mumbai.
It is evident that demand has crashed the ceiling which is seen owing to the serpentine queues seen at railway ticket counters of people who wait through the night for getting a confirmed ticket. These queues run for hours together and yet people do not receive a confirmed ticket. Thus, they are forced to approach ticketing agents; some of whom are nothing less than touts who unscrupulously generate ticket and sell it at a premium.
In a bid to tackle this menace, the railway police carry out drives and raids on these touts and illegal ticketing agents. “Passengers are complaining that touts and agents book tickets within a matter of seconds. There have been cases where certain software is used by these touts to tweak the system and generate several confirmed rail tickets in a matter of seconds.
On May 14, Central Railway said that they carried out a crackdown against these touts and black marketers during this summer vacation from April 1 to May 10. “The Anti Tout Squad along with RPF has been keeping its ears on the ground and conducted special operations plus intensive checking drives to catch the unauthorized ticket vendors. During these intensive checks, five cases were registered with the confiscation of 89 tickets valued at Rs 1,62,313,” said a CR official on condition of anonymity.
During the last financial year 2021-2022, the same squad registered 27 cases against touts and confiscated 646 tickets worth Rs. 7,99,759. On May 13, Central Railway officials consisting of Anti Touting Squad, Ticket Checking staff, Railway Protection Force, and members of IT Cell; laid a trap near Avion hotel on the Western Express Highway in Vile Parle and intercepted a person named Ghanshyam Prajapati.
In the introduction, the person willingly handed over railway reservation tickets valued at Rs 37,995 and on further questioning, he revealed that he is working on a commission basis and was hired by a person named Ramesh Yadav who is a resident of Poisar. Later, Ghansham Prajapati was handed over to Vile Parle police station and the ATS team headed to Kandivli to apprehend Ramesh Yadav.
Sources said that on reaching Ramesh Yadav’s residence while questioning, he accepted hiring Ghanshyam Prajapti to deliver the tickets on commission basis. Later Yadav was produced at Samta Nagar police station, after completion of police proceedings, both Ghanshyam Prajapathi and Ramesh Yadav; were handed over to RPF Ghatkopar and a case was registered under varied sections of the law.
Likewise on May 11, based on a tip off that a person will be coming to pick up Railway Journey cum Reservation tickets in 12138 up Punjab Mail at Kalyan station, a plan was prepared to nab the person. A close watch was kept on the suspected person. On arrival of Punjab mail at Kalyan station, this person boarded the B-5 coach and after a few minutes de-boarded the train.
Immediately the railway police nabbed the person. On being questioned, the person named Santosh Shyamlal Gupta was found in possession of 3 Railway Reservation tickets worth Rs 15540. Further on checking his residence, one mobile and a CPU with 43 e-tickets valued at Rs 1,05,893 was seized. The total value of tickets seized from Santosh was Rs. 1,21,433. Further investigation is on the purchase of software and his financial transactions etc.
Even the WR authorities are doing their bit to catch offenders and touts. In April, 54 intensive checks were conducted against touts and other anti-social elements. As a result, 217 persons were apprehended and prosecuted under various sections of the Railways Act 1989 and Rs 24,800 was recovered from them as court fines.
