Railway to soon make OTP must for all Tatkal tickets bought at reservation counters
New Delhi (PTI): To book Tatkal train tickets from railway reservation counters, passengers will now have to provide a one-time password received on their mobile phones, a move officials say is aimed at curbing misuse of the last-minute ticket booking facility.
The Railway Ministry initiated the OTP-based Tatkal ticketing system for journeys booked from reservation counters on a pilot basis on November 17. It started with a few trains, and the number was soon increased to 52.
In the next few days, this reservation system at counters will be implemented for all remaining trains, the ministry said in a statement.
According to it, the OTP-based Tatkal reservation system was proposed to make the last-minute ticket-booking facility more convenient for common users.
"Under this system, while booking a Tatkal ticket at a reservation counter, the passenger receives an OTP on the mobile number provided in the reservation form. The ticket is confirmed only after successful OTP verification," the ministry said.
Officials stated the initiative is aimed at curbing misuse of the Tatkal facility and ensuring that genuine passengers have better access to high-demand tickets. This marks a significant step towards enhancing transparency, passenger convenience, and security in railway ticketing, they added.
In the past few months, the Railway Ministry introduced a couple of measures for passengers to get fair access to ticket reservations and discourage booking agents from exploiting the system for their own benefit.
In July, the Railway Ministry mandated Aadhaar verification through OTP for online ticket bookings under the Tatkal system across the country. From October 1, it permitted only Aadhaar-authenticated users to book reserved general tickets through the IRCTC website or app during the first 15 minutes after booking opens for any train.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
