Pune: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Pune Railway Station has successfully busted a bogus railway ticket racket, arresting a fraudster who altered platform tickets and sold them at inflated prices.

The accused, Atul Adlinge (30), used black ink to modify ₹10 platform tickets, making them appear as long-distance travel tickets, and sold them for ₹310, ₹410, ₹510, or ₹810 to unsuspecting passengers.

Authorities were alerted after receiving multiple complaints about ticket fraud. Under the leadership of Pune RPF Inspector Sunil Yadav, a special operation was launched under the guidance of Senior Divisional Security Commissioner Priyanka Sharma and Assistant Security Commissioner.

The RPF team, comprising Santosh Jayabhaye, Jaydeep Bhagat, M.V. Bagul, Rasul Sayyed, Pradeep Goyekar, Yuvraj Gaikwad, Vilas Darade, Sachin Nazare, Amardeep Salunkhe, and Amol Shelke, set a trap to catch the fraudster.

Investigations revealed that Atul Adlinge had a criminal record and had previously been jailed for five months under IPC Section 354 and the IT Act at Karmala Solapur Police Station. Upon his release, he moved to Pune in search of work.

Soon after arriving, he began altering platform tickets and selling them to passengers traveling to North India. He would approach travelers at Pune Railway Station, tamper with the tickets, and sell them at inflated prices, falsely claiming they were valid long-distance travel tickets.

To catch the fraudster, the RPF team laid a trap and caught him red-handed at Pune Railway Station. The accused has now been handed over to the Government Railway Police (GRP) for further legal proceedings.