THE Jabalpur division of the West Central Railway has taken major action by arresting a fake TTE in a joint secret operation conducted by the Vigilance Department, ticket checking staff, RPF, and GRP. The accused was extorting money from passengers by posing as a ticket examiner (TTE) in reserved train coaches. The railway administration had been receiving repeated complaints that a man was posing as a TTE on long-distance trains at night, checking passengers’ tickets, affixing fake seals to them, and extorting money from them. Following the complaints, a special surveillance operation was launched. On the night of July 21-22, after train number 15018 Kashi Express departed from Sohagpur, the investigating team caught a suspicious person checking tickets in sleeper coach S-1. Upon interrogation, the suspect identified himself as Arun Kumar Yadav (54), a resident of S o h a g p u r , Narmadapuram district.

 

During a search, the accused was found in possession of two fake TTE seals, Rs 3,500 cash collected from passengers, a WCRMS union card, an identity card in the name of the Field Director of the Satpura Tiger Reserve, a plastic lighter resembling a pistol, and a mobile phone. Upon arrival of the train at Itarsi, the accused was handed over to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the General Administration of Transportation (GRP), and a case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police are also investigating how long the accused had been defrauding passengers in this manner and whether any other individuals were involved. The railway administration has appealed to passengers to contact only authorised railway employees during ticket checking or other rail services. Immediately report any suspicious person or activity to the Rail Madad helpline 139, the RPF, or the GRP.