Maharashtra: Railway Ticket Black Marketing Racket Busted; Over Rs 10 Lakh Worth of Tickets Seized

In a significant breakthrough, the vigilance team of Central Railway successfully busted a statewide black marketing racket of railway tickets on Thursday. The operation was carried out at the Public Reservation Center (PRC) in Malkapur, where over Rs 10 lakh worth of tickets were seized from the racket. It has also been revealed that the two arrested individuals have connections with the infamous "Thakur" gang operating from Mumbai. There had been murmurs for a long time about the large-scale black marketing of railway tickets at the Malkapur PRC center. Acting on these reports, the Central Railway’s vigilance team had been setting a trap for several days. On Thursday, the operation bore fruit when two agents were caught red-handed.

The team detained two brokers—Sanjay Chandak and Prasad—who were seen engaging in suspicious activity. They had just purchased AC coach tickets worth Rs 3,960 through the Tatkal booking system. Upon questioning, both suspects became visibly nervous, leading to a search of their premises. During the search, the team discovered 182 railway tickets valued at over Rs 10 lakh. Further investigation revealed that Sanjay Chandak and Prasad were linked to the notorious Thakur gang in Mumbai, which is suspected to operate a vast black-market ticketing network across the state.

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Solid Proof of Connection with the Thakur Gang
According to sources, there is solid evidence showing Chandak’s direct involvement with the Thakur gang. The investigation team also uncovered WhatsApp chat history on Chandak’s mobile phone showing communication with members of the gang based in Mumbai.

Tickets Booked from Malkapur, Sold in Mumbai
Photos of the 182 Journey cum Reservation (JCR) tickets booked from the Malkapur PRS were shared during the investigation. These included 23 live tickets worth Rs 1,61,535 and 159 past tickets worth Rs 8,48,298. All these tickets were booked from Malkapur and then made available for sale to agents in Mumbai.

23 Live Tickets Blocked; Major Operation Uncovered
The 23 live tickets recovered from the arrested agents have been blocked. Sanjay Chandak and Prasad have been booked under Section 143 of the Railway Act and arrested. If the investigation progresses thoroughly, it could lead to the unravelling of a nationwide racket in black marketing of railway tickets operating from Mumbai.