In a bold case of digital fraud on Mumbai's local trains, the Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered a case against a woman passenger and her male friend for using a counterfeit season pass through a fake mobile application.
The Onboard Check That Led to Exposure
The incident came to light on January 9 when a vigilant ticket checker from Western Railway was conducting a routine inspection. The checker entered a first-class coach of an Up fast local train heading towards Churchgate and began verifying passengers' tickets.
Around 10:30 AM, as the train pulled into Khar Road station, a female passenger, identified as Priti G (30), presented her season pass digitally on her mobile phone. The pass displayed validity from January 1 to January 31 and was meant for AC local travel between Churchgate and Vasai stations.
Unraveling the Digital Deception
The ticket checker grew suspicious when Priti failed to provide satisfactory answers to specific queries about the pass. Acting promptly, the official asked Priti to disembark at the next station and accompany her to the Ticket Checker's office at Bandra station for further questioning.
To confirm her doubts, the checker contacted the control room at Lower Parel and requested a system verification of the pass details. The check revealed a crucial fact: no valid season pass had been issued to Priti since the year 2023. Confronted with this evidence, Priti's story crumbled.
The Fake App and the Friend's Role
During interrogation, Priti confessed to the fraud. She admitted that her friend, Anuj Kishore (31), had created a completely fake ticketing application. Anuj had forwarded this bogus app to Priti via WhatsApp, which she then downloaded onto her smartphone. She had been using the app to generate and display the fraudulent season pass for her train journeys.
Following her confession, Priti was immediately handed over to the Govt Railway Police (GRP) at Bandra for a formal investigation. The GRP has now registered an FIR based on the statement provided by the ticket checker. Both Priti G and Anuj Kishore have been booked under relevant sections of the law for their roles in the scam.
This case highlights a modern twist on ticketless travel, moving from physical ticket forgery to digital app-based fraud. Railway authorities have warned passengers against using any unauthorized third-party applications for ticket validation and emphasized that all genuine passes must be verified through official railway channels and systems.
