Lok Sabha Question No. 998 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-02
Subject: e-Ticket Rackets
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: NANDI YELLAIAH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.998 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.03.2016

## E-TICKET RACKETS

998.  SHRI  NANDI YELLAIAH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Railway  Protection  Force  personnel  busted  a  e-ticket racket involved in selling tickets at premium costs to railway train passengers at Hyderabad and a large number of e-tickets have been seized, if so, the details thereof and the action taken so far in this regard;
- (b) whether similar cases of selling e-tickets have come to the notice of the Government in other zones;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of remedial measures adopted to put an end to such eticket rackets at national level?

ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) to (d):      A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.998  BY  SHRI  NANDI  YELLAIAH  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN LOK SABHA ON 02.03.2016 REGARDING E-TICKET RACKETS

(a):  Yes,  Madam. On 04.12.2015, two accused persons were arrested by Railway Protection Force personnel of RPF Post/Hyderabad with seizure of 152 e-tickets  valued  at ` 3,67,953.70/-  and  documents  related  to  'Disha Travels  Services'.  In  this  regard,  a  case  vide  crime  no.547/15  under section  143(1)  of  Railways  Act  was  registered  against  the  accused  and they were prosecuted.

(b) & (c):  Yes, Madam. The details of the rackets involved in selling of etickets busted, the number of persons arrested and the number of tickets seized during the year 2015 is appended.

- (d):      Various  remedial  measures  have  been  taken  by  the  Railways  to check the misuse of e-tickets including the following:-
1. Carrying of any one of the prescribed proofs of identity at the time of undertaking journey on e-tickets.
2. CAPTCHA has been put in place to check booking in batch mode and through Scripting related tools on the IRCTC e-ticketing website.
3. Check  applied  on  minimum  time  required  to  enter  the  displayed CAPTCHA  at the time of login by user, entering the Passenger details and making payment.
4. Agents are debarred from booking tickets during first thirty minutes of opening of booking i.e. from 0800 to 0830 hours for general booking, 1000 to 1030 hours and 1100 to 1130 hours for Tatkal booking on AC class and Non-AC class respectively.

5. Only one booking in one user login session except for return/onward journey between 0800 and 1200 hours.
6. An  individual  user  can  book  a  maximum  of  06  tickets  online  in  a month.
7. Regular  joint  drives  are  conducted  by  Commercial,  Vigilance  and Railway Protection Force against touts. These checks are intensified during peak  rush/ festival periods.  Touts  are  apprehended  and prosecuted as per Section 143 of Railway Act, 1989.

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APPENDIX REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (b) AND (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.998 BY SHRI NANDI YELLAIAH TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 02.03.2016 REGARDING E-TICKET RACKETS

(b) & (c): The details of the rackets involved in selling of e-tickets busted, the number of persons arrested and the number of tickets seized during the year 2015 are as under:-

| Railways     |   Years |   No. of E-Ticket rackets involved in selling tickets at premium costs busted |   No. of persons arrested |   No. of E- Tickets seized from such rackets | Total amount of E- tickets seized (in Rs.)   |
|--------------|---------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| Central      |    2015 |                                                                            24 |                        36 |                                          698 | 1807572.15                                   |
| Central      |    2016 |                                                                             1 |                         1 |                                            5 | 6378                                         |
| Eastern      |    2015 |                                                                            15 |                        26 |                                         1737 | 911380                                       |
| Eastern      |    2016 |                                                                             1 |                         3 |                                           22 | 33386                                        |
| East Central |    2015 |                                                                             2 |                         4 |                                           53 | 82485                                        |
| East Central |    2016 |                                                                             0 |                         0 |                                            0 | 0                                            |
| East Coast   |    2015 |                                                                            10 |                        14 |                                          272 | 347777.42                                    |
| East Coast   |    2016 |                                                                             1 |                         3 |                                            8 | 18414.58                                     |
| Northern     |    2015 |                                                                           163 |                       204 |                                         1882 | 342331118                                    |
| Northern     |    2016 |                                                                             7 |                         7 |                                          120 | 223864                                       |
| North        |    2015 |                                                                            17 |                        19 |                                          383 | 753761.82                                    |
| Central      |    2016 |                                                                             0 |                         0 |                                            0 | 0                                            |
| North        |    2015 |                                                                             5 |                         5 |                                           40 | 68913.7                                      |
| Eastern      |    2016 |                                                                             0 |                         0 |                                            0 |                                              |
| Northeast    |    2015 |                                                                            10 |                        14 |                                           34 | 60665.06                                     |
| Frontier     |    2016 |                                                                             4 |                         4 |                                           21 | 101049.32                                    |
| North        |    2015 |                                                                             8 |                         8 |                                           81 | 115781.2                                     |
| Western      |    2016 |                                                                             3 |                         3 |                                            4 | 2867                                         |
| Southern     |    2015 |                                                                             6 |                         8 |                                           50 | 89920                                        |
|              |    2016 |                                                                             2 |                         4 |                                           26 | 61584                                        |
| South        |    2015 |                                                                           168 |                       171 |                                         1086 | 1782792                                      |
| Central      |    2016 |                                                                            12 |                        12 |                                          116 | 168702                                       |
| South        |    2015 |                                                                            11 |                        13 |                                           98 | 262739.05                                    |
| Eastern      |    2016 |                                                                             1 |                         1 |                                           13 | 24982                                        |
| Southeast    |    2015 |                                                                             7 |                         8 |                                           92 | 136612                                       |
| Central      |    2016 |                                                                             0 |                         0 |                                            0 | 0                                            |
| South        |    2015 |                                                                            33 |                        39 |                                          191 | 358063                                       |
| Western      |    2016 |                                                                             2 |                         3 |                                           14 | 14664                                        |
|              |    2015 |                                                                           234 |                       285 |                                         3999 | 9428655.55                                   |
| Western      |    2016 |                                                                            35 |                        42 |                                          543 | 1135754.89                                   |
| West         |    2015 |                                                                            16 |                        18 |                                          146 | 324882                                       |
| Central      |    2016 |                                                                             1 |                         1 |                                            1 | 637                                          |