CHENNAI: A 43-year-old man was arrested by the Government Railway Police on Tuesday for masquerading as a train ticket examiner (TTE) and collecting money from passengers heading to West Bengal, Odisha, and northeastern states.
The arrested accused was identified as P B Venkata Kishore from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. He targeted passengers waiting to board trains for Shalimar/Howrah as the demand was high, said the police.
On Tuesday, Muka Padiami (35) of Odisha was approached in the concourse area by Kishore, who promised a reserved seat for Rs 5,000. The deal was struck at Rs 4,000. After receiving the money, Kishore entered the TTE’s office and left through another exit. Following a complaint, the GRP arrested him while he was talking to another passenger near the entrance.
A senior TTE said, “Vacancies for TTE and in the GRP must be filled as soon as possible. Petty criminals attempt to take advantage of the situation.” Sources said Southern Railway collected `57.48 crore as fines between April and October 15 from ticketless travellers and others.