From common name to tech, touts use all tricks
New Delhi: The investigation in the touting cases— done by Railway Protection Force (RPF)— has revealed that the web touting is increasing with the time. Apart from the inappropriate use of technologies, the touts used the trick of common names for making and selling tickets to passengers.
According to RPF investigators, it has revealed that they print popular common names in the tickets, fake addresses and start the search for the passengers who are in the need of urgent railway tickets.
"After finding such travellers, they sell tickets to them telling them that no one will catch them. If the ticket's name matches with the traveller then they may surpass the TT check but in some cases, the name did not match and the traveller had to pay fine," added the investigators.
The team of Assistant Security Commissioner (ASC, New Delhi) Harish Kumar busted the gang of touts who were helped by one potter. "The potter used to search the people who were in need of tickets and then take them to the touts who used to charge extra money from them," said an officer.
Technology and ban agencies:
From the last few years, several applications are being used for illegal touting. These software help touts to excess IRCTC website in a very speedy manner and then they can book multiple Tatkal tickets within seconds.
"We prepare lists of such ticket shops using software and send the list to concerned agency either to block or blacklist them," said RPF officer. The RPF data accessed by Millennium Post claimed that till December 24, 2018, more than 116 cases of touting reported whereas in 2017, RPF registered over 106 cases.
Shops using government logo:
Senior Divisional Commissioner (West) Dr Rajiv Kumar claimed that in many cases, they have found that to dupe people, many shops install hoardings with government logo. "The commuters got trapped in the trick suspecting that it is a government-owned shop and bought tickets from there paying a large amount," added the officer.
According to RPF, touting activities mostly operates from tour & travel agencies, hotels, cyber cafes, near railway station areas, near industrial areas, labor areas, educational zones, mobile shops, near tourist places etc.
