Central Railway Cracks Down On Tatkal Ticket Fraud; 64 Caught With Duplicate Bookings On Kushi Nagar Express

In a major crackdown against ticket fraud, the Vigilance Department of Central Railway, along with the Anti-Tout Team, conducted a surprise inspection on Train 22538 Kushi Nagar Express, which runs from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) to Gorakhpur. The raid was carried out around 12:30 am on April 17, 2025, shortly after the train departed from LTT.

Two vigilance teams, each accompanied by Anti-Tout personnel, boarded the train and carried out checks in coaches B1 and B8. During the operation, authorities uncovered a disturbing pattern: 16 duplicate Tatkal tickets—color Xerox copies—were found, with a total of 64 passengers traveling on these fraudulent documents.

All the passengers were penalized according to railway rules, and approximately Rs 1.2 lakh was recovered in fines. 

This operation is part of a broader effort by Central Railway to curb the growing menace of ticket fraud, particularly during peak travel seasons when demand is high.

“This isn’t the first instance,” said a railway official. “Last month, during a similar inspection on the Godan Express, numerous duplicate ticket cases were found.” A more detailed operation took place on October 25, 2024, on the same Godan Express. In that instance, the CR Vigilance Team inspected coaches S-8, B6, and B7 between LTT and Igatpuri after reports of suspicious Tatkal bookings from remote areas surfaced.

Investigations revealed a coordinated racket where agents booked genuine Tatkal tickets from distant states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. These tickets were scanned or photographed and emailed to brokers in Mumbai, who sold them as color printouts to unsuspecting passengers at inflated rates—often charging up to Rs 3000 per person extra for what travelers believed were confirmed seats.

“Many passengers affected by this scam had no idea they were holding fake tickets,” an official explained. “They only realized it during inspection, when they were charged for traveling without a valid ticket.”

With the summer seasons driving up demand for long-distance travel, Indian Railways has warned passengers against buying tickets from unauthorized agents. Officials strongly advise booking only through the official IRCTC website or railway booking counters.

"The vigilance department will continue such surprise inspections in coming weeks to ensure that passengers are not exploited," the official added.