09 January,2026 08:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Woman carried a fake UTS AC local pass on smartphone. File pic
In yet another instance of ticket fraud, the Mumbai Central ticket checking staff detected a fake local train ticket (UTS pass) during a routine inspection on the Churchgate-Virar suburban route on Friday.
As per the information received by the officials, Deepika Murty, Chief Ticket Inspector (CTI), (Sports Squad), Mumbai Central, was on duty between 7:00 am and 11:00 am when the incident came to light.
At around 10:20 am, while checking tickets in the women's first-class coach of Churchgate AC local. Shortly after the train departed from platform 7 of the Andheri Railway Station, the official inspected the ticket of a woman passenger that appeared to be fake.
The passenger showed a UTS AC local pass on her mobile phone that showed validity from January 1, 2026, to January 31, 2026. Upon questioning about the ticket, which seemed highly suspicious, the passenger gave evasive replies that further triggered the doubt of the ticket inspector.
Furthermore, she was subsequently disembarked at Bandra Railway Station for further verification of the pass that she possessed. The ticket was investigated by the DCTI Control, and they confirmed that the UTS pass shown on the mobile phone was fake.
However, the woman then admitted that the pass was forged and had been created by her friend, who had forwarded a fake UTS application to her via WhatsApp.
With the help of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the passenger who had a fake UTS train ticket pass was taken to Bandra Government Railway Police (GRP) station.
Officials informed that an FIR has been registered against the woman and her friend in connection with the ticket fraud, and the authorities are investigating it.
Moreover, the railway authorities have once again urged commuters to purchase tickets only through authorised platforms and warned that strict action will be taken against those found using fake or fraudulent tickets.
