CHENNAI: As many as 32 touts have been arrested for the unauthorised sale of reserved rail tickets. According to a statement, as part of ‘Operation Thunder’ to curb unauthorised sale of railway tickets, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) raided 23 locations, including reservation counters and private travel agencies located at Arakkonam, Villivakkam, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Puducherry, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Salem, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Nagercoil, Mangalore and Palakkad, recently.
During the drive, 32 touts were apprehended and booked under the Railway Act, 1989, for selling the reserved tickets without authorisation from railways. A total of 436 advance reservation tickets including e-tickets valued Rs 53.2 lakh were seized by Railway Protection Force. The drive covered six divisions of Southern railways, said the statement.