Ahmedabad: A fake railway ticket racket has been uncovered by the Ahmedabad division of Western Railway during a routine ticket-checking drive, revealing a systematic operation involving duplicate photocopied tickets being circulated as genuine ones.According to officials, the fraud involved scanning original tickets and producing multiple photocopies that were then illegally sold to passengers. The case surfaced when a long-distance express train from Prayagraj arrived at Ahmedabad, where ticket-checking staff detained several suspicious passengers. A detailed verification revealed two different passengers carrying tickets with identical serial numbers, prompting deeper scrutiny.Officials scanned the QR codes on the tickets and confirmed through technical checks that they were unauthorized duplicates. Further investigation led to the identification of 15 passengers travelling on similar fake tickets, after which railway authorities issued a system-wide alert and initiated coordinated action with multiple departments.The probe found that the racket was linked to individuals associated with Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM) facilitation in Prayagraj. Genuine tickets were first issued and then handed over to associates, who used high-end scanning equipment and editing software to create as many as ten duplicate copies of each original ticket. These original tickets were then returned at the counter to obtain refunds, while the duplicate photocopies were sold to unsuspecting passengers at full price.Railway authorities have registered cases against those involved in the operation under charges related to cheating and endangering passenger safety. The incident has prompted calls for tighter monitoring of ATVM-related activities, stronger verification mechanisms and improved coordination across railway divisions to prevent similar frauds in the future. Scanned copy soldDuplicate photocopied tickets sold after scanning original issued ticketsFifteen passengers detected travelling with identical serial-numbered ticketsOriginal tickets refunded while photocopies circulated at full price
