Rlys turn up heat on touts encashing summer rush

Long distance train tickets worth more than Rs 1 lakh have been seized between April 1 and May 10

The Central Railway has initiated a crackdown against touts and agents, who are cashing in on the summer vacation rush and selling express train tickets at exorbitant prices.

In this regard, the anti-tout squad along with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) conducted intensive checking drives between April 1 and May 10 to catch the unauthorised ticket vendors.

"During these checks, five cases were registered with the confiscation of 89 tickets valued at Rs 1,62,313,” said a CR official on condition of anonymity.

On Friday, a team of antitout squad, ticket checking staff, RPF and IT cell members laid a trap near Avion hotel in Vile Parle and intercepted one Ghanshyam Prajapati. Upon being nabbed, he immediately handed over reservation tickets valued at Rs 37,995 and on further questioning revealed that he is working on commission basis for Ramesh Yadav, a resident of Kandivli's Poisar. Later, Prajapati was handed over to the Vile Parle police station, while the ATS team headed to apprehend Yadav.

He conceded hiring Prajapati and both of them were subsequently handed over to the Ghatkopar RPF. A case has been filed against the duo.

In a similar action on May 11, one Santosh Shyamlal Gupta was apprehended at Kalyan station, with three tickets worth Rs 15,540.

Acting on a tip-off, the railway police kept a hawk's eye for Gupta and nabbed him after he boarded the Punjab mail but stepped down within minutes.

The search of his residence led to the seizure of a mobile phone and a CPU, with 43 etickets valued Rs 1,05,893.

Similarly in April, the Western Railway carried 54 intensive checks against touts and anti-social elements. As a result, 217 people were apprehended and prosecuted under various sections of the Railways Act, 1989, while Rs 24,800 was recovered from them as court fines.

The summer rush is the thriving business season for these touts as more than five lakh people are travelling daily on long distance trains, departing from Mumbai.

During the last financial year 2021-22, 27 cases were filed against touts, and 646 tickets worth Rs 7,99,759 confiscated.