The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has uncovered an alleged organised racket involving the black marketing of Tatkal railway tickets and arrested Chief Commercial-cum-Reservation Supervisor Shailendra Dubey. The accused, posted at Pitambarpur railway station, is alleged to have misused the railway reservation system to generate illegal profits worth lakhs of rupees through the unauthorized sale of Tatkal tickets. Investigators have also identified the alleged involvement of a Mumbai-based ticket broker, Ravindra Sahu, who remains wanted in the case.
According to the preliminary investigation, the accused allegedly exploited the railway reservation system to obtain Tatkal tickets and channel them into a network that sold them at inflated prices. Officials believe the operation had been functioning in a systematic manner for a considerable period and may be part of a larger interstate ticket black-marketing syndicate.
Railway officials said the RPF caught the accused during an operation and recovered three Tatkal tickets valued at approximately ₹20,455 from his possession. During the search, investigators also seized an expensive mobile phone and a bank debit card. Both digital devices and banking records are being examined to trace financial transactions and establish the full extent of the network.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that Mumbai-based broker Ravindra Sahu had provided him with a debit card issued in the name of Sahu’s wife, Rekha Sahu. Investigators allege that cash was withdrawn using this debit card and used to pay the railway fare at the reservation counter, while the remaining funds were retained by the accused for personal gain.
According to investigators, the accused allegedly issued two to three Tatkal tickets during each duty shift, earning an estimated illegal profit of ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 per day. Authorities further allege that passengers in urgent need of confirmed tickets were charged an additional ₹500 to ₹1,000 per ticket over the official fare.
The investigation has also revealed that the accused allegedly photographed the Tatkal tickets and shared the images with Ravindra Sahu through WhatsApp. The broker is suspected of printing the ticket details and selling them to passengers as fake railway window tickets. Investigators are conducting forensic analysis of the digital communications and financial records linked to the operation.
Officials said the racket primarily targeted Tatkal tickets originating from distant boarding stations, including Cooch Behar and Darbhanga, among others. Investigators allege that Ravindra Sahu paid Shailendra Dubey between ₹5,000 and ₹7,000 for each ticket, indicating a structured arrangement designed to generate substantial illegal profits through organised ticket black marketing.
Railway authorities have registered a case against the accused under Section 143 of the Railways Act. Efforts are continuing to trace and apprehend Ravindra Sahu, while investigators are also examining whether other railway employees, agents, or outside associates were involved in the alleged racket.
The RPF and railway administration have confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. Seized mobile phones, banking transactions, digital records, and railway booking data are being analysed to reconstruct the financial trail and operational structure of the network. Officials believe that further questioning and forensic examination may lead to additional arrests and expose the full extent of the interstate Tatkal ticket black-marketing operation.
