Railway Officials Uncover Ticket Fraud Scheme
In a significant incident highlighting growing concerns about digital ticket fraud, three passengers, including a woman, were caught traveling with fake UTS season tickets on a Mumbai local train. The detection occurred during a routine check conducted by railway staff on Friday evening aboard the 6.45 pm Parel-Kalyan AC local train operated by Central Railway.
How the Fraud Was Uncovered
The breakthrough came when travelling ticket inspector Prashant Kamble, accompanied by other ticket-checking staff and on-duty RPF personnel, conducted their regular inspection. The three suspicious passengers presented what appeared to be UTS season tickets stored in the "My Files-Documents" folder on their mobile phones.
When instructed to display the tickets through the official UTS application, all three passengers failed to open them properly. Further investigation revealed an alarming pattern - all three tickets bore the same UTS number despite having different passenger details. To confirm his suspicions, Kamble sent the passengers' mobile numbers for verification, which ultimately showed no record of ticket issuance in the railway system.
Growing Trend of Digital Ticket Fraud
This incident represents part of a disturbing pattern emerging in Mumbai's railway network. Central Railway authorities have recently busted several similar cases involving fake UTS tickets. Just a few days prior to this incident, a city-based banker was apprehended in an AC EMU local train with a counterfeit UTS ticket that was reportedly generated using AI tools through coding.
Sources indicated that the fraudulent ticket involved in the earlier case was an apk (Android phone application package) file, suggesting increasingly sophisticated methods being employed by ticket fraudsters. The rising cases have prompted railway authorities to enhance their vigilance and verification protocols during ticket checking operations.
An FIR has been officially lodged against the three passengers caught in the latest incident, marking another successful interception in the ongoing battle against railway ticket fraud. The case highlights the challenges faced by railway authorities in maintaining the integrity of digital ticketing systems against evolving fraudulent techniques.
