A vigilant ticket checker on a busy Mumbai suburban train led to the arrest of a 20-year-old passenger for allegedly using a forged digital season ticket. The incident occurred on Friday night, highlighting ongoing concerns over ticket fraud on Indian Railways.
Alert TC Uncovers Digital Fraud
The case unfolded aboard the Dadar-Ambernath fast AC local. Ticket Inspector Prashant Kamble, posted at CSMT, was conducting a routine check in the third coach from the guard's side when he approached the passenger for his ticket. The young man, identified as Laksh Punjabi, a resident of Thane, presented a digital season ticket that appeared to be from the official Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) application.
However, suspicion arose when Punjabi could only show a screenshot of the pass, allegedly received via WhatsApp, and failed to display the live ticket on the actual railway app. This discrepancy prompted Kamble to conduct a more thorough verification, which confirmed the pass was counterfeit.
Police Action and Investigation
The ticket inspector immediately alerted the Thane Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel. A formal case was registered at the Thane Railway Police Station on Saturday under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Senior Inspector Archana Dusane provided details of the arrest.
The accused, Laksh Punjabi, was presented before the railway court, which granted police custody. Investigations revealed that Punjabi has no prior criminal record. During questioning, he stated that the forged pass was forwarded to him by a friend on WhatsApp. The police have seized the mobile phone used to display the fake ticket for further forensic examination.
Probing a Wider Fraud Network
Assistant Police Inspector Vijay Gopal is leading the probe to determine the full scope of this fraud. A key focus of the investigation is to track whether multiple other passengers are traveling using similar counterfeit digital passes, which could indicate an organized racket.
This incident serves as a stern warning against the use of forged travel documents. It also underscores the effectiveness of diligent ticket checking by railway staff, even in the age of digital tickets. Passengers are advised to always book tickets through official channels and carry genuine digital or physical tickets to avoid legal complications.
