Two travel agents were arrested in Ranipet district after the Railway Protection Force found that they had allegedly booked railway tickets online and resold them to passengers at prices ₹200 to ₹300 above the ticket fare, according to a report by Dinamalar.
The arrests followed a surprise inspection at a travel agency in Ranipet after a complaint that reserved railway tickets were being sold at additional charges. The inspection was conducted by Railway Protection Force personnel led by Inspector Prabhu.
The authorities identified the arrested men as Sathyamoorthy, 63, from Mukundarayapuram in Ranipet district, and Ravichandran, 34, from Edappalayam. During questioning, the two reportedly told investigators that they had booked tickets for trains travelling towards Chennai, Madurai and Tirunelveli during the Deepavali festival period and sold them to passengers at higher prices.
The Railway Protection Force has been conducting checks under an operation referred to in the report as the ‘Up laath’ plan to identify illegal railway ticket sales. The enforcement activity covers railway station reservation centres and travel agencies, where officials are carrying out surprise inspections.
Officials seized two mobile phones, two hard disks and 34 railway tickets valued at ₹30,000 from the two men, the report said. The seized devices may provide investigators with transaction and booking records connected to the alleged resale activity, although the report does not specify whether further arrests or additional cases are expected.
The case highlights the pressure placed on reserved railway services during major festival periods, when demand for travel to large cities and regional centres rises sharply. Passengers seeking confirmed berths during such periods can face limited availability, while unauthorised resale can add costs beyond the official fare and interfere with access to the reservation system.
Railway authorities have not disclosed in the supplied report the specific legal provisions invoked against the two men, the number of passengers who purchased the tickets or whether any of the seized tickets were cancelled. The Railway Protection Force’s inspection campaign at reservation centres and travel agencies is continuing.
