Central Railway Cracks Down on Tatkal Ticket Scam: 64 Caught on Kushi Nagar Express with Duplicate Bookings
In a bold and strategic move to clamp down on rising ticket fraud, Central Railway’s Vigilance Department, in collaboration with its Anti-Tout Team, carried out a surprise inspection on Train 22538 Kushi Nagar Express. The operation took place shortly after midnight on April 17, 2025, soon after the train departed from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Mumbai, en route to Gorakhpur.
The joint team boarded the train at around 12:30 am and began checks in coaches B1 and B8. What they uncovered was alarming: 16 duplicate Tatkal tickets—essentially color photocopies—being used by 64 passengers. These individuals were found traveling with forged bookings and were immediately penalized under Indian Railways rules. Fines amounting to approximately ₹1.2 lakh were collected on the spot.
“This isn’t the first instance,” said a railway official. “Last month, a similar inspection on the Godan Express also revealed several duplicate ticket cases.” In a major operation on October 25, 2024, the Central Railway Vigilance Team inspected coaches S-8, B6, and B7 of the same train between LTT and Igatpuri. The probe was launched after reports of suspicious Tatkal bookings from remote regions surfaced.
Further investigations have exposed a well-coordinated racket. Agents based in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh were found to be booking legitimate Tatkal tickets. These tickets were then scanned or photographed and sent via email to middlemen in Mumbai. These brokers would print color copies of the tickets and sell them to unsuspecting passengers—charging up to ₹3000 extra per head for what were essentially fake travel documents.
“Many of the passengers had no idea they were traveling on fraudulent tickets,” said an official. “They believed they had confirmed seats until the inspection proved otherwise.”
This crackdown is part of Central Railway’s intensified efforts to battle ticket fraud, especially during peak travel seasons such as summer, when demand for confirmed bookings surges. The department has warned travelers to steer clear of unauthorized ticketing agents and to book tickets only through the official IRCTC platform or designated railway counters.
Officials have confirmed that more surprise inspections will follow in the coming weeks as part of a zero-tolerance approach to ticket fraud. Passengers are advised to stay vigilant and ensure their bookings are made through legitimate sources.
