Nagpur: According to a recent media report, railway passengers who have often been perplexed by the rapid exhaustion of Tatkal tickets within seconds of their release may find it surprising that the culprits behind this phenomenon could be agents using illegal software.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF), Central Railway, under the leadership of Senior Divisional Security Commissioner Ashutosh Pandey, has uncovered a software called ‘Nexus,’ which is being illicitly employed by certain agents to secure Tatkal tickets in a matter of seconds, while ordinary passengers struggle to complete the online booking process.
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Tuesday 12 Nov. 2024
The report reveals that agent Parveen Zade utilized this software to carry out transactions worth over Rs 85 lakh within a span of two years. Pandey’s team, headed by Inspector R.L. Meena and Sub-Inspector Priyanka Singh, managed to unveil this insidious software after apprehending Zade at his residence in Professor Colony, Manish Nagar.
The software, known as ‘Nexus,’ contains preloaded passenger details such as boarding and disembarking stations, train names and numbers, dates, and payment options. By utilizing this information, an agent can complete the booking process several seconds faster than an ordinary user attempting to secure Tatkal tickets.
Pandey stated, “The data revealed that Zade had been utilizing the software for the past four years, and within just two years, excluding the lockdown period, he conducted transactions amounting to over Rs 85 lakh.” He further mentioned that his team had previously uncovered similar illegal software operations. During Zade’s arrest, laptops and other electronic devices were seized, and it was during the analysis of this confiscated data that the utilization of such software came to light.
It has been observed that these software programs are mostly developed and administered outside of India. They are initially purchased by key distributors and later sold to online retailers with a validity period of three months. The RPF, Central Railways, is currently interrogating the agent in an attempt to apprehend the mastermind behind the creation of this software.
The discovery of this illegal software and the ongoing investigation by the RPF highlights the challenges faced by railway authorities in combating ticketing fraud and ensuring a fair and equitable ticket booking system for all passengers. Efforts are being made to strengthen security measures and take legal action against those involved in such illicit activities.
