Pune Railway Police have arrested Praveen Kumar Madhular Londhe for circulating fake reserved train ticket booking messages to unsuspecting passengers. The arrest followed the alert of Ticket Checking Examiner (TTE) G. S. Rajapure, who was on duty aboard the Jhelum Express. The fraudster had been deceiving passengers into believing they had reserved seats on the train by sending fraudulent messages.
The fraudster’s tactics involved offering passengers cheaper rates for reserved seats on trains like the Jhelum Express, only to trick them into paying for non-existent reservations. The incident came to light when two passengers quarreled over a seat reservation, prompting TTE Rajapure to investigate the matter. Upon discovering that the seat was not actually reserved, Rajapure immediately reported the issue, leading to an investigation by the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
A special RPF team, led by Inspector Sunil Kumar Yadav, ASI Santosh Jaibhaye, and Constable Yuvraj Gaikwad, worked with a Cyber Cell specialist to trace the fraudster. By examining a fraudulent PNR number sent to a passenger, they linked it to Praveen Kumar Madhular Londhe, a resident of Gotkhindi, Village Valwa, District-Sangli. Londhe had used a mobile number (9158720449) to send manipulated messages promising confirmed reservations.
On December 22, another passenger reported a similar fraud, further confirming Londhe’s involvement. The RPF team identified Londhe after observing suspicious activity near the booking office and brought him in for questioning. During interrogation, Londhe admitted to sending the fraudulent messages and collecting cash from passengers, totaling Rs 2000 for a fake reservation.
