Rail ticket racket busted, 2 arrested in Patna

PATNA: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested two touts engaged in selling illegally booked e-tickets to passengers wishing to travel in special AC trains amid lockdown.
The RPF personnel carried out raids at two separate locations in Patna on May 20 and May 22 and recovered illegally booked e-tickets worth more than Rs 2.68 lakh. The tickets were meant for travel of 138 passengers on Patna-Delhi and other routes. The touts had collected hefty amount from these passengers.
RPF IG S Mayank said efforts were being made to stop illegal sale of rail tickets. “RPF deputy commandants have been authorised to act against the touts,” he said.
Patna Junction RPF SHO V K Singh said they were asked by RPF DG Arun Kumar on May 20 to remain alert. “We later received a list containing names of some suspects. The DG asked us to take action as per information shared by technical experts of IRCTC,” he said, adding more raids would be conducted soon.
Singh said the RPF men raided the office of Pooja Travels, which was functioning from the basement of a multi-storied hotel near Patna Junction, on May 20.
“Altogether 24 e-tickets worth Rs 2.5 lakh were seized. These tickets were meant for 119 passengers who were scheduled to travel on May 27. Owner of the travel agency, Manoj Kumar, was arrested,” he said.
He said one Shyam Kumar of Sohsarai in Biharsharif was the mastermind of the racket. “Shyam was also arrested from gate number 10 of Gandhi Maidan on Friday. E-tickets worth Rs 18,000 was seized from his possession,” he said.
He said Shyam, accused in at least five cases, had come to Patna to meet lawyers for seeking anticipatory bail after he was made an accused along with Manoj in connection with the ticket racket.