KOCHI: In a rare case of impersonation, a man in an inebriated condition posed as train ticket examiner (TTE) and collected fines from passengers before being caught by a real ticket examiner at Aluva railway station. The incident took place in Malabar Express between Thrissur and Aluva.
Ernakulam railway police arrested Faizal, 47, of Mudadi, Koyilandi, after he was caught by TTE Gireesh Kumar R at the Aluva railway station. A case was registered against him under Sections 419 and 420 for impersonation and cheating. “The accused is an employee of a railway catering service. He boarded the sleeper class coach when the train reached Thrissur.
He was wearing a tag of Thiruvananthapuram Division Catering Service. Impersonating as TTE, he checked the tickets of passengers. Three persons who entered sleeper class with unreserved coach tickets were caught by the accused and he collected a total of `100 fine from them. Instead of giving a receipt for the fine collected, he wrote the amount on their tickets and signed over them,” an officer said.
After the ticket-checking exercise, Faisal entered an air-conditioned coach and took rest there before being caught by the real TTE. “The passengers informed the real TTE that they paid a fine for travelling on sleeper coach. With the assistance of passengers, the accused was intercepted and he was handed over to the police. The passengers thought he was a TTE as he sported the tag of Thiruvananthapuram Division,” a police officer.
After recording the arrest, the police found that he was working for a licensed caterer under the Thiruvananthapuram railway division. Police who verified his antecedents found that he was not involved in any criminal activities earlier. Considering this, Faisal was granted station bail after he agreed to appear anytime as part of the probe.