Mumbai: In a major crackdown, a man impersonating a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) aboard the Kushinagar Express was apprehended during a special ticket-checking drive conducted between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) and Igatpuri on May 21st.

The accused, identified as Ramprakash Ramjivan Mandal, 40, a resident of Room No. 206, Mandal Apartment, Virar West, was caught red-handed collecting fines from passengers while pretending to be a railway ticket checker.

According to officials, a joint team of Railway staff and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) boarded the Kushinagar Express at LTT around 12:50 AM. Operating in plain clothes, the team began inspecting the train from the general compartment near the guard’s side.

“At around 2:15 AM, shortly after the train left Kalyan station, the team noticed a man dressed as a TTE—wearing a white shirt, black trousers, and an Indian Railways blue lanyard—suspiciously collecting money from passengers,” said a railway official.

Upon questioning, Mandal produced four general tickets from LTT to Gorakhpur, collecting Rs 2,640 from passengers. However, the team grew suspicious due to irregularities in the format of the receipts and inconsistencies in the Excess Fare Ticket (EFT) book he was using.

“Every page of the EFT book carried the same serial number—D0113201—which clearly pointed to forgery,” the official added.

A search of the accused yielded a fake Indian Railways ID card, a forged EFT book, a forged railway driver's ID, a brown bag, a wallet containing receipts, and cash amounting to Rs 17,390, including 28 notes of Rs 500.

Mandal was immediately taken into custody and handed over to the Kalyan Railway Government Police Station. A case has been registered against him under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigations are underway.

Officials allege that Mandal had been posing as a railway officer to deceive both passengers and railway authorities, exploiting the system for personal gain.

The special operation was led by H.K. Dahilkar. Team comprising Dhananjay Kumar Yadav, Mehdi Krishna Butan, Sanjeev Jagdishprasad Rajput, Vijay Mangaldas Waghela, and Ishant Mukund Gajbe, along with RPF officer Ramsingh Prithviraj Meena.

Railway officials have urged passengers to remain cautious and report any suspicious activity immediately to prevent such fraudulent acts in the future.