Fake Ticket Examiner Arrested at West Bengal Railway Station
Arrest of Impersonator at Rampurhat Station
Photo: IANS
Kolkata, July 17: In the early hours of Wednesday, a man posing as a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) was apprehended by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at the Rampurhat railway station in Birbhum, West Bengal.
Officials from the Eastern Railway (ER) are currently probing whether this individual was part of a broader scheme aimed at defrauding passengers and tarnishing the reputation of the Railways.
While patrolling Platform 1 around 3:15 a.m., an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the RPF noticed a man behaving suspiciously.
Upon questioning, the suspect confidently asserted that he was a legitimate TTE from the Sealdah Division, even displaying a laminated Railway ID card. However, the ASI detected discrepancies on the card and promptly took the suspect to the Chief Ticket Inspector's office for verification.
Initially resistant, the man eventually confessed during interrogation. He was identified as Aryadeep Saha, hailing from North 24 Parganas district. He admitted to boarding the Gour Express (13153 UP) from Sealdah while impersonating a TTE and disembarking at Rampurhat.
This was not Saha's first instance of masquerading as a railway employee.
A search of his belongings uncovered a sophisticated toolkit for deception, which included two forged Railway ID cards identifying him as both a Ticket Collector (TC) and a TTE, a counterfeit Ticket Checking Authority letter for his journey, two ATM cards, a cash-filled money bag, and a 5G smartphone containing images of him checking tickets at various stations.
In a surprising admission, Saha revealed that he had utilized advanced Gemini AI tools to create the convincing fake documents and IDs. RPF officials meticulously documented the seizure of these incriminating items and confirmed with Sealdah and Howrah headquarters that no such TTE was on their payroll.
The suspect, along with the seized items, has been handed over to the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Sainthia for legal proceedings.
Following the dismantling of several fake recruitment schemes, some involving retired railway personnel, ER has heightened surveillance at stations and on trains.
Authorities are keeping a close watch on individuals exhibiting suspicious behavior and are actively questioning many of them.
"In the past, fake recruitment rings would issue counterfeit joining letters to unsuspecting individuals after extorting large sums from them. Many of those who received these letters were unaware of the illegality and began working at stations or railway offices. This case appears to be different, and we need to investigate if others like Saha are operating in various divisions," an official stated.
Authorities are also assessing how much money Saha may have collected from passengers.
Officials have urged passengers not to attempt bribing railway staff to avoid penalties, as individuals like Saha exploit such situations, ultimately harming the passengers.
Shibram Majhi, ER CPRO, emphasized the commitment of security teams to ensure safe and authentic travel experiences across all networks, urging passengers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious ticket-checking activities through official helplines.