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Take care! 'Helpful' gang conning people at Mumbai's railway counters

Updated on: 28 January,2017 06:09 PM IST  | 
Suraj Ojha |

Under the guise of helping uneducated people fill out cancellation forms, a gang has been duping people at railway counters by jotting down their details; one arrested

Take care! 'Helpful' gang conning people at Mumbai's railway counters

Commuters take care! 'Helpful' gang conning people at Mumbai's railway counters

Accused Sanjiv Bajaj
Accused Sanjiv Bajaj


It's simple enough — look for the uneducated people at railway ticket cancellation counters and in the guise of helping them, jot down their details while filling out forms and then beat them to the cancellation window.


It's what Sanjiv Bajaj (38) had been employing to dupe people of their money, before he was nabbed yesterday after attempting the same shtick on 22-year-old Haidar Ali at the Kurla Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter. Following his arrest by the Kurla RPF, a case was registered against him.


The accused feigns to help the victim by filling out his cancellation form as an accomplice also jots down all the details of the victim
The accused feigns to help the victim by filling out his cancellation form as an accomplice also jots down all the details of the victim

Modus operandi
What's the exact game plan? Well, according to the police, Bajaj and his cohorts scout PRS counters at any crowded station, in this case the Dadar station. When they spotted Ali, Bajaj walked over and "helped" him fill the form by loudly dictating all details to an associate standing close by with his own form.

Then, distracting Ali for a split second, also managed to exchange his confirmed tickets with an already cancelled ticket so that when Ali gets to the window, there is no ticket to cancel.

After Bajaj hands over the form and exchanges the confirmed ticket for an already cancelled ticket, Ali waits for his turn in the queue at the Dadar station
After Bajaj hands over the form and exchanges the confirmed ticket for an already cancelled ticket, Ali waits for his turn in the queue at the Dadar station

Meanwhile, Bajaj himself runs to the less-crowded Kurla station and awaits his turn. Unfortunately, as Ali is explaining his predicament to the counter official, the PNR in question is cancelled at the Kurla station and the officer is alerted to the scam.

He then calls his counterpart at Kurla, who informs the RPF and they manage to trap Bajaj before he can escape. Speaking to mid-day, Ali said, "I was there to cancel my Mumbai-Guwahati AC 3-tier ticket that cost R3,770 when this guy cheated me in the name of helping. But, I was lucky and the police nabbed him in a few hours."

Here, the officer realises that Ali has been cheated as the ticket shows up cancelled at Kurla station on the system. He then immediately alerts his counterpart at Kurla
Here, the officer realises that Ali has been cheated as the ticket shows up cancelled at Kurla station on the system. He then immediately alerts his counterpart at Kurla

Accused confesses
During his interrogation, Bajaj revealed his modus operandi and confessed to the crime, saying he had tricked more than four people in the last week itself. Sources said that "one accused earns more than R50K per month from this."

The Kurla RPF immediately swings into action and nabs Bajaj before he can make a quick getaway. Illustrations/Uday Mohite
The Kurla RPF immediately swings into action and nabs Bajaj before he can make a quick getaway. Illustrations/Uday Mohite

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