Ahmedabad: Two cases of fraud targeting passengers during Holi rush have surfaced at the Ahmedabad railway station, prompting authorities to warn people against touts and impostors.In the first case, a 27-year-old sanitation worker at an automobile plant in Sanand alleged that he was duped by a man posing as a travelling ticket examiner (TTE). According to the complaint, the victim arrived at Ahmedabad railway station on March 7 to book tickets to Banda, Uttar Pradesh, for himself and two others. While filling in the reservation form, a man in a white shirt and black trousers approached him and offered to arrange confirmed tickets for an extra fee of Rs 50 per ticket. He claimed to be a TTE and gained the victim’s trust. He collected Rs 2,000 from the victim and sent a PDF of the ticket through Whatsapp. However, on March 11, officials from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) informed the victim that the ticket was fake and that the PNR number on it was invalid. Police later showed the victim CCTV footage, which led him to identify the suspect, resulting in his detention. Investigators said the accused allegedly created fake e-tickets and sent them to passengers to cheat them.In another incident, a 32-year-old cook travelling home to Bihar for Holi reported being cheated by two unidentified men at the station. The victim arrived at the railway station from Amreli and was waiting for the Sabarmati-Darbhanga Express.During the wait, a man struck up a conversation with him, while another accomplice staged a story about being fined by police. The duo convinced the victim to obtain a “passenger card” to avoid fines and asked him to hand over his ATM card, mobile worth Rs 30,000 and some cash for verification. The suspects later fled with the items.
