Person from Makumbura suspended for railway e-ticket scam

18 January 2025 03:25 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 18 Bookmark

CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA Follow

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The Railways Department has taken steps to suspend the services of a person attached to the Makumbura Multimodal Center (MMC) who has been accused of being involved in the railway e-ticket scam.

It has been revealed that the policeman has started a private company in the name of a relative of his, that issues train tickets and has booked e-tickets online through it.

It has been reported that the tickets booked in this way have been sold to various individuals at higher prices.

The e-ticket scam was reported from Ella, Kandy, Colombo and from the Makumbura MMC.

However, Railways General Manager N.J. Indipolage said during a media briefing that the Railways Department is in a good position to sell all e-tickets within 42 seconds.

Transport and Highways Deputy Minister Dr. Prasanna Gunasena recently said that a large-scale fraud is taking place behind the release of e-tickets for the train to Ella on the Kandy railway line, which has attracted the attention of foreigners on the internet and all of them were sold out in 42 seconds.

The Deputy Minister, who revealed this while speaking at the Kandy District Coordinating Committee meeting, stressed that a complaint has been filed with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding the ticket racket.

He also said that while about 200 tickets are issued online every weekend, there are reports of groups that buy all the tickets instantly and thereafter selling a ticket worth Rs. 2,000 for Rs. 16,000 to foreigners.

Police said that in order to conduct an investigation in this regard, the person making the complaint must be involved in the judicial process, and that those who buy tickets at higher prices hurl accusations but do not cooperate in taking legal action, which is a serious problem.

Comments - 18

roobarbie Saturday, 18 January 2025 03:35 PM

GM Railways must make the complaint, as the crooks are abusing his e-ticket issuing system, designed to help the general public and not crooked businesses. Police need not quote petty rules to abscond from doing their duty. Get on with it police, stop looking for excuses.

1 34

Yohan Saturday, 18 January 2025 03:42 PM

Introduce a new system where the ticket is issued for the person who is actually travelling bit similar to airplanes so that no body can resale tickets at higher prices.

1 29

Johan Saturday, 18 January 2025 05:01 PM

Do not wait till someone complains the Govt should be able to curb those malpractices and put things right

1 22

Crime without accuser or witness! Saturday, 18 January 2025 05:02 PM

Very promising business! Are we to believe that all tickets are sold in 42 seconds and nobody in the Railway manning the E. ticket counter is just unaware of the mess? In other words, none of the Railway staff is involved in this fraud? As for the judicial process, CGR can be the complainant and inquiring officer in CGR or Police can be the accuser. Do you expect the tourist who come on vacation wish to be involved in any legal matter?

0 29

GET THE STATION TICKETS UP AND RUNNING AND STOP THE E TICKET SCAMS, IF IT IS NOT THIS POLICEMAN, IT WOULD BE ANOTHER CORRUPT SCUMBAG OR HIS STOOGE. Saturday, 18 January 2025 05:48 PM

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO TRAIN STATIONS SELLING TICKETS AS AND WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO TRAVEL, GO TO THE STATION AND PURCHASE A TICKET SIMPLE AS ABC. WHY GET ANOTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN SELLING E-TICKETS AND OR ANY TICKETS. I DO NOT TRAVEL BY TRAIN, ONLY BUSES, SO HAVE NO IDEA TRAIN TICKETS ARE SOLD VIA E-TICKETS. LOSS OF STAFF AT STATIONS IF NO TICKETS ARE SOLD, GET THE STATION JOBS BACK.

12 3

Sokrates Saturday, 18 January 2025 06:04 PM

Do it like in Germany. When you book an e-ticket, you have to give your personal details and ID number. The ID must be shown at the ticket inspection on the train. The price is also noted on the e-ticket. Why is it so difficult to arrange the simplest things in Sri Lanka?

1 46

Iqbal Caffoor Sunday, 19 January 2025 09:25 AM

Please check the Jaffna bound trains as well.

1 2

Steve Sunday, 19 January 2025 10:30 AM

Don't use the name "Sokrates" with such small brain. There are tour operators (who are part of the tourism industry) who sell tour packages that include train travel on specific dates of its itineraries, and they have to purchase it in advance just like they pre-book hotel rooms. The passport numbers or names of the tourists who will travel are not known at that time.

5 2

Gabriella Saturday, 18 January 2025 06:21 PM

The whole country is a scam. Anyone and everyone who can rip you off will. It is embedded in the DNA.

2 31

Aquarius Saturday, 18 January 2025 06:58 PM

Police claim that complainants must be involved in the judicial process but how do you expect tourists to hang around for an indefinite time till our legal process proceeds at snails pace?

0 1

Priyan66 Saturday, 18 January 2025 07:37 PM

As such big demand for Kandy - Ella sector, add more trains and earn dollars. Railways people are so inefficient

1 23

Harin Fernando Saturday, 18 January 2025 08:08 PM

When buying tickets you have to mention NICs of all the passengers that are traveling. However, they don't check your NIC or passport in the train to validate whether the actual person bought is travelling. Even though locals can't buy tickets even one month before, foreigners buy the tickets 2-3 days before even, but at the black market price from these unknown resellers.

1 18

Dinesh Saturday, 18 January 2025 08:29 PM

Seems theGM is happy and don’t care who end up buying his tickets . Talking very proudly about the tickets sold in 40 seconds , to see it’s crooks who end up buying it , what a joke, is the police sleeping? do your job

0 3

Ranga Saturday, 18 January 2025 08:34 PM

Why suspend Don't you know the word called firing people

0 2

Rohan Saturday, 18 January 2025 11:07 PM

Systems are created to cheat. Why cant the NIC be mandatory. Since children are not having NIC ,parents should be able to purchase the ticket under the child name

1 0

M Fernando Sunday, 19 January 2025 12:57 AM

Any kind of ticketing system is subject to this. Across the world., such electronic systems allow people to buy and resell, often at huge markups, not only railway but event tickets. Stick to paper tickets or only honour tickets sent directly from source to purchaser via email etc

0 1

Judge Sunday, 19 January 2025 08:00 AM

This country is full of scamers, thugs and murderers, but everything goes on without any check. NPP government has to walk the talk. This ticketing scandal is a joke. I'm sure railway workers, police, tourism agents and everyone is involved and everyone is getting a cut. This railway dept should be bulldozed and a forien country like Japan should run it. Railway GM's answers are a joke. He doesn't care. Where is AKD. I think like anything else he has to take charge on this.

1 4

Darcey Sunday, 19 January 2025 08:32 AM

Well why cant these tickets be issued against the ID card. also when it comes to foreigners against their passport numbers.

1 3

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