Dhanbad, Nov 13 — Railway security agencies have arrested a youth from Mumbai for allegedly being involved in the black marketing of railway tickets following a raid at a dharamshala in Madhuban, Giridih district of Jharkhand. A total of 31 train tickets worth Rs 1.74 lakh were recovered from his possession.
According to officials, 117 passengers were scheduled to travel on the recovered tickets. During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted to charging an additional Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per ticket in the name of arranging tickets for needy passengers.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Dhanbad, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Post, Gomo, along with personnel from the local Madhuban police station, conducted a raid at Siddhayatan Charitable Spiritual Home Dharamshala on Thursday.
During the operation, the team searched room number 226 of the dharamshala and allegedly uncovered the ticket black marketing racket.
The accused was identified as 33-year-old Jaswant Rai, a resident of Malad West in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was apprehended from the spot.
During the search, the team recovered 31 railway tickets purchased from the Madhuban railway counter over the past three days. The total value of the tickets was estimated at Rs 1,74,630.
Apart from the tickets, the officials also seized two used touchscreen mobile phones and Rs 6,900 in cash from the accused.
Following the operation, a case was registered at the Railway Protection Force Post, Gomo, on November 12, under Case No. 789/26. The accused has been booked under Section 143 of the Railways Act for his alleged involvement in the illegal sale of railway tickets.
Railway security agencies are now investigating the matter to establish the extent of the alleged racket and identify other people who may be involved in the black marketing of railway tickets.