Touts book tickets faster on IRCTC site using special software

SURAT: The touts involved in the black-marketing of the railway tickets have become tech-savvy. Now, they are using a special software to get maximum number of railway e-tickets from the IRCTC web portal at a click of the button. The common users on the IRCTC website take a long time to book e-tickets, but touts are able to book dozens of tickets with the help of the special software at one go.
This was revealed during a surprise raid conducted by the anti-tout squad of Mumbai in the city's Limbayat area on Saturday evening where a tour and travel operator was nabbed with more than 44 e-tickets booked with the help of the specialized software, which he claimed to have purchased from a software developer in Anand.
Official sources said that the owner of tour and travel agency in Limbayat identified as Pradip Sharma was caught red-handed with 44 e-tickets for 177 passengers worth Rs 1 lakh and Rs 20,000 worth of tickets booked from the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) centre for 19 passengers. He was getting anything between Rs 200 and Rs 1,000 on each ticket sold to the passengers.
"The accused was using a software to book e-tickets on IRCTC website. The software would facilitate the accused to book tickets in a faster possible manner. As the bookings would open up in the morning hours on the website, he would log in and book around 18 tickets at one go. We have seized the computer and investigations are on to trace the whereabouts of the technocrat who designed the software," said an officer of anti-tout squad. S K Yadav, area railway officer (ARO) told TOI, "The railway protection force (RPF), anti-tout squad from Mumbai and the railway department have been keeping a close watch on the touts for the last two weeks."