IRCTC manager booked over booking system botch-up

The CBI on Thursday booked a manager of the IRCTC and others over cheating and criminal conspiracy charges for allegedly interfering in the booking system by installing a software in the computer systems at various offices of travel agents. Following the registration of the case, the agency conducted searches at 11 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad which led to recovery of laptop, hard disk, cell phones, tatkal tickets and other incriminating documents. These equipment were allegedly used for creation of multiple IRCTC windows for generating multiple tickets at a time by installing a software called ‘New Trained Software’, online for capturing the ticket data.

Accused Assistant Manager Shahid was posted at the IRCTC office in the national capital, agency sources said, adding he has also been booked for offences under Prevention of Corruption Act and Information Technology Act. “Due to the manipulation in the ticket booking process, the travel agent could book six separate tickets with a maximum of 36 passengers in one-go, whereas in normal course, a person/ agent could book only one ticket with maximum of six passengers at a time. As a result, the genuine passengers were affected adversely, since the tickets were cornered by these travel agents and again sold to passengers at huge premium, thereby, the accused were making huge profits at the cost of genuine passengers,” a CBI spokesperson said.