Dhanbad: Railway security agencies have arrested a 33-year-old man from Mumbai for allegedly running a railway ticket black marketing operation in Jharkhand’s Giridih district, recovering 31 tickets worth Rs 1.74 lakh during a raid at a dharamshala.
The recovered tickets were booked for 117 passengers. During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to charging an additional Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per ticket from passengers in the name of arranging reservations for those in need.
The operation was conducted on Thursday following a tip-off by a joint team comprising the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Dhanbad, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Post, Gomo, and personnel from the local Madhuban police station.
The team raided Siddhayatan Charitable Spiritual Home Dharamshala in Madhuban and searched Room No. 226, where the alleged ticket black marketing operation was uncovered.
The accused was identified as Jaswant Rai, 33, a resident of Malad West in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was apprehended at the spot.
During the search, officials recovered 31 railway tickets purchased from the Madhuban railway reservation counter over the preceding three days. Their combined value was estimated at Rs 1,74,630.
Two used touchscreen mobile phones and Rs 6,900 in cash were also seized from his possession.
Following the raid, the RPF Post in Gomo registered a case on November 12 under Case No. 789/26. The accused has been booked under Section 143 of the Railways Act for allegedly engaging in the unauthorised sale of railway tickets.
Railway security agencies have launched a further investigation to determine the extent of the alleged racket and identify other individuals who may have been involved in the illegal ticket trade.
–IANS