Operation Uplabdh: Western Railway RPF Nabs 43-Year-Old In Mira Road For E-Ticket Touting

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Western Railways Mumbai Central division conducted a successful raid on Monday under Operation Uplabdh, targeting an unauthorized e-ticket tout operating out of Mira Road (East), near Mumbai.

The drive was carried out by the RPF Post at Bhayandar (BYR) under the supervision of the Mumbai Central (MMCT WR) division. The accused, identified as Ashley Lawrence Chettiar (age 43), was operating from Room No. 409, Tower-2, North Imperiya, Vinay Nagar, Mira Road (E), Thane District.

Not an Authorized IRCTC Agent

Investigations revealed that Chettiar is not an authorized IRCTC agent, yet had been actively involved in the unauthorized sale of railway e-tickets, violating provisions of the Railway Act.

Seizures Made

During the raid, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) recovered several incriminating items linked to illegal e-ticketing activities. Among the items seized was one old mobile handset suspected to have been used for unauthorized transactions. The officials also found screenshots of QR codes used in IRCTC e-ticketing, indicating digital evidence of booked or shared tickets. Additionally, an A4 sheet was recovered, which contained detailed information about multiple ticket bookings. Two personal IRCTC user IDs—ashley0582 and sofiya2588—were identified as being involved in the transactions. The team also seized one live e-ticket valued at Rs 10,013, along with six previously used e-tickets with a combined value of Rs 16,290. In total, the value of the recovered tickets stood at Rs 26,303, highlighting the extent of the unauthorized ticketing operation.

Modus Operandi

According to RPF sources, Chettiar was found to be booking railway e-tickets using personal user IDs and selling them to passengers at a premium rate of Rs 50 to Rs100 per passenger. While no illegal software or ticketing bots were involved, the use of personal IDs for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited under IRCTC norms and Indian Railways regulations.

Legal Action Taken

A case has been registered under Section 143(1) of the Indian Railways Act, which deals with unauthorized carrying on of business of procuring and supplying railway tickets. The case number is 3682/2025, dated 29 September 2025.

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