NEW DELHI: Surprising, though, it may sound but it is now officially confirmed. At a time, when Indian railway faces very high demand for seats and berths, the techno-savvy touts are using illegal software namely, the Covid-X Covid-19, Anmsback, the black tiger, Red-Mirchi and Real-Mango for swift booking of confirmed rail tickets.
These all are pirated software available in markets at prices ranging from Rs 50000 to Rs 2 lakh. The techno-savvy touts installed software on their laptops for booking confirmed railway tickets in long-distance trains including the Rajdhani and other premiers under the Tatkal quota.
Acting against such practices, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in a smooth-long special drive in April this year stumbled upon 42 such illegal and pirated software from the possession of many touts from across the country. According to an official statement of the railway, issued to media on Wednesday, more than 42 illegal softwares seized in addition to arresting 955 touts in just 30 days of a special drive from across the Indian Railway's different zones.
"The RPF conducted a drive to address two critical challenges to the railway- one to identify criminals involved in touting of e-tickets and the second to identify 'black spots and vulnerable trains prone to incidents of stone pelting", said the railway in a statement. As a result of these efforts, the RPF not only seized more than 42 softwares and 955 touts but also apprehended super sellers of illegally booked e-tickets and retailers and developers of illegal software.
Railway sources said that illegal softwares were being sued for booking tickets and charging exorbitant prices for confirmed tickets by touts especially during peak festive seasons.
The softwares namely Covid X, Covid-19 and Red-Mirchi are more frequently sued by touts for booking e-tickets under Tatkal quotas d through fake IP addresses and Ids.
"The softwares support the touts in creating fake IP address and Ids for booking tickets more swiftly than the railway system can book. It helps the touts in operating from any desktop or laptops with the strong support of the internet", remarked a railway official adding that in the last few years, more than 150 such softwares were seized by railways.
In 2021 and 2022, over 25 such illegal software were seized by the ROPF conducting a drive against touting, and e-tickets worth crores were seized. A senior railway official, preferring anonymity said that these softwares help the touts in making sharp penetration into railway Tatkal booking system and server.