Ludhiana: Two nabbed for overcharging for rail tickets

Railway Protection Force (RPF) nabbed two persons for using an unauthorised software for booking train tickets and overcharging the passengers for tatkal tickets, railway authorities said on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Bumb Shankar of Shimlapuri and Akash Gupta of Dhoka Mohalla.

The raids were conducted by RPF teams in collaboration with criminal investigation branch of railways. A case under Section 143 (purchasing and selling tickets to carry on any such business) of the Railway Act has been registered against the accused.

Police said the accused were using an illegal software to create fake digital accounts for booking tickets and were charging hefty commissions from the customers. Police have confiscated around eighty tickets, a laptop and a printer, that were being used by the accused.

The accused used to book tatkal tickets using fake accounts. As many as 43 such accounts were traced by the cyber wing of railways. RPF officials said the accused were identified by the team and raids were conducted. The accused were produced in a court and have been sent to judicial remand.

In February, three persons, including two railway officials, were held by a team of crime intelligence branch and RPF for illegally selling tickets to passengers.

Using their access at the railway station, the accused used to buy tickets from the tatkal counters at the railway stations and sell them to passengers by charging extra money. They were caught red-handed at the station.