Mumbai RPF officer who busted IRCTC e-ticket touting racket honoured with Rail Minister’s Medal

The award was presented by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during a ceremony held in Valsad of Gujarat. Pic/Special Arrangement by Rajendra B. Aklekar

Gopalkrishna Rai, a Sub-Inspector from the Mumbai Division of Central Railway, was awarded the prestigious Railway Minister's Medal for Best Investigation for his outstanding role in busting a major e-ticket touting syndicate, officials said on Monday.

The award was presented by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during a ceremony held in Valsad of Gujarat.

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Rai, who is posted at the IT Cell, Wadi Bunder in Mumbai, led a detailed investigation into a gang using NEXUS software to book IRCTC e-tickets illegally. His efforts resulted in the arrest of 16 individuals, including one super seller, two sellers, and thirteen users. The crime was initially registered at Bhiwandi Road, an official statement said.

It said that using advanced tools such as PRABAL Data, Rai retrieved data on 23 suspicious bank accounts and conducted deep financial analysis. His team discovered 234 e-tickets already used which were worth Rs 4,85,544, 94 active or upcoming journey tickets worth Rs 2,20,397, use of 5 IRCTC agent IDs and 684 personal user IDs and 193 suspected tout leads circulated across various railway zones.

The successful crackdown dealt a major blow to the illegal railway ticketing network in Mumbai and highlighted the growing misuse of digital platforms in ticket frauds, the statement said.

The Railway Ministry praised Rai's technical expertise, sharp investigation skills, and commitment to protecting passenger interests.