Mumbai: Western Railway has been conducting special drives and raids against touts, luring innocent passengers and charging exorbitant illegal commissions.
Taking intensive action against touts, special drives have been regularly conducted by Western Railway’s Railway Protection Force (RPF) in all six Divisions. This has resulted in the seizure of 46 cases of illegal touting of 1088 E-tickets as well as journey-cum-reservation tickets worth approx. Rs 26.70 lakhs in the month of April 2023.
RPF Crime Branch, Cyber Cell carry out operation
According to Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, RPF WR formed special teams of dedicated staff from the Detective Wing of RPF Crime Branch, Cyber Cell and Divisions to launch special drives against touts. It was observed that touts were booking tickets using several fake identity cards, including some authorised IRCTC agents who used fake IDs to issue tickets, thereby charging extra money from innocent passengers. In the year 2022, RPF WR arrested 769 accused of illegal touting and seized tickets worth more than Rs. 32.63 Cr in 629 cases.
Thakur added that in just 15 days of April 2023, Western Railway’s RPF detected 46 cases of illegal touting and apprehended 49 persons through special drives. 1088 journey tickets including e-tickets worth approx. Rs. 26.70 lakh were seized in the cases detected from 1st to 15th April, 2023. Case under Section 143 of Railways Act have been registered against the miscreants.
Thakur further stated that apart from such regular drives for arrest and prosecution of touts, RPF WR has also conducted several awareness campaigns for sensitizing the public to discourage purchasing tickets through illegal touts. The campaign also aimed to educate passengers regarding the legal provisions of Section 143 of the Railways Act and the consequences of buying tickets/e-tickets from touts
