Western Railway Uncovers Massive Ticket Scam Involving Surat Travel Agency

Surat, Gujarat : Western Railway’s vigilance department in Mumbai discovered a ₹4.50 crore ticket scam. The scam was carried out by Rajesh Mittal, the owner of Surat-based Ekta Travels, and his employee. It involved the establishment of almost 973 bogus IDs and the use of Ghadar software to book confirmed train tickets.

Western Railway’s vigilance department, in partnership with the Surat police, discovered a large-scale train ticket scam using Ekta Travels, a well-known travel agency in Surat’s CityLight area. The scheme was masterminded by the agency’s owner Rajesh Girdhari Mittal, 55, and his employee Kripa Dinesh Patel, 25, resulting in financial transactions of about ₹10 crore in Mittal’s and his family members’ accounts.

The fraudulent operation was discovered after vigilance officer Sanjay Sharma filed an official complaint with the Umra police. According to sources, Rajesh Mittal and Kripa Patel hacked the IRCTC website with the Ghadar software to bypass the IRCTC gateway, booking e-tickets directly and gaining confirmed reservations. This unlawful action entailed the construction of around 973 bogus IDs, via which 2.88 crore e-tickets were booked.

During the raid, Surat police recovered five laptops, five routers, and four email addresses that were critical to the scam’s implementation. Further investigations found that the Ghadar software allowed the accused to hack into the IRCTC system, allowing them to easily manufacture and purchase tickets, frequently catering to clientele from Surat’s affluent regions.

Kripa Dinesh Patel, who was employed three months ago at a monthly salary of ₹10,000, was primarily in charge of operating the Ghadar software. Her responsibilities included coordinating the booking process for clients and ensuring that fraudulent tickets were issued without detection.