How do touts book Tatkal tickets in just 10-15 seconds? You’ll be shocked to know the names of these illegal apps!

The Indian Railways introduced the Tatkal service with the aim of providing tickets to passengers for last-minute travel, but touts are now misusing this system.

While it takes common people 1-2 minutes to book a Tatkal ticket, touts manage to complete their task in just 10-15 seconds.

Tatkal tickets are completely sold out in a matter of seconds. Touts have already taken control of them. The biggest question now is how they manage to book Tatkal tickets in just a few seconds?

The answer is unauthorised apps. The railway website is hacked through several illegal apps, and touts manage to snatch all the tickets in the blink of an eye.

Currently, there are four such apps available in the market that book Tatkal tickets in 10-15 seconds. Their names are 'BrahMos', 'Tesla', 'Avengers', and 'Dr. Doom'.

Details can be filled in seconds

You might be surprised to hear the names of these illegal apps, but their work in the world of railway ticketing is extremely dangerous. These apps take only 15 seconds to fill in the necessary passenger information and confirm tickets for Tatkal bookings.

However, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is very strict about touts and illegal apps. As per an official quoted by The Indian Express in its report, information such as the passenger's name and age is filled into these illegal apps a day before Tatkal booking opens, so that tickets can be booked instantly as soon as they become available.

RPF's watch on such cases

Rishi Shukla, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Mumbai, told The Indian Express that the RPF constantly monitors such ticket scams and has made several arrests in such cases.

It is important to note that an OTP and CAPTCHA code are required to book any ticket, to ascertain that the booking is being done by a human and not a robot. However, unauthorised systems manage to bypass even these security measures.

'BrahMos' arrived a month ago

Various apps like Avengers, Tesla, and Dr. Doom have created problems for the railways in terms of ticketing. Tesla has been active for the last six months, while BrahMos arrived just a month ago.

Those who develop these software sell them at a rate of Rs 1,500-2,500 per month. There is no limit to the number of tickets that can be booked.

BrahMos is an advanced software that charges Rs 99 per PNR. Another official said, "A PNR can have up to six passengers, and four passengers in Tatkal."

Touts charge Rs 2,000 for a Sleeper ticket

Discussing profit margins, an official said that a sleeper ticket priced at Rs 800 is sold by these touts for Rs 2,000. During festival seasons, prices for trains going to northern Indian states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar increase manifold.

The official added, "For example, a Third AC ticket, which costs Rs 2,300, can go up to Rs 4,000." Railway officials state that they have started taking several steps to tackle this problem.

They said that since Aadhaar verification has been made mandatory for booking, the demand for fake identity cards in the black market has increased.

The RPF's IT cell has registered 10 cases this year and 25-30 cases last year related to illegal ticket booking. So far, a total of about 50 people have been arrested, including super sellers, touts, and developers.