WR's RPF teams cracks down on unauthorised railway ticket touts at Vapi and Silvassa

Western Railway has been conducting special drives and raids against touts luring innocent passengers with waitlisted tickets and charging exorbitant illegal commissions, especially during the festive season and the vacation period. To intensify action against the touts, special drives are being regularly conducted by RPF Department of WR's Mumbai Central Division. Recently, this has resulted in crackdown on unauthorised railway ticket touts in Vapi and Silvassa region.

According to a press release issued by Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, in the Vapi jurisdiction which also covers the Silvassa area, 58 cases have been registered in 2020 & 2021 till now, with seizure of 1176 tickets worth ₹ 17,67,287/-. In a recent initiative, an intense drive for 15 days had been launched by RPF - Vapi with special team to clamp down upon touts. The team looks into both online and offline ticket touting activities to take down the rogue elements.

Apart from such regular drives for arrest and prosecution of touts, several awareness campaigns are also being conducted by RPF for sensitizing public for not purchasing tickets though illegal touts and the legal provisions under the Railways Act, for taking stringent action against such illegal ticket touting.

Thakur further stated that, RPF takes action against unauthorised ticket touting under section 143 of the Railways Act whereby touts are arrested and prosecuted. In the year 2020 & 2021 till now, 532 cases have been registered in Mumbai division seizing total 14213 tickets worth more than ₹ 2.68 crore. During this period, 637 touts have been arrested and prosecuted with fine of approx. ₹ 30 lakh. Several illegal softwares including MAC, NGET, RED BULL, ANMS, DELTA & ADHAR and illegal extensions such as Turbo Extension have been tracked and destroyed through cyber patrolling and touts using these softwares and extensions have been arrested and prosecuted.