Railways Blocks 77 Lakh Accounts to Curb Bot-Driven Tatkal Fraud

In one of its biggest crackdowns to date, Indian Railways has blocked nearly 77 lakh user accounts found to be involved in large-scale bot-driven fraud under the Tatkal ticket booking system. The move follows heightened surveillance by the Railways and IRCTC after detecting an explosion in automated scripts and illicit software being used to corner Tatkal tickets within seconds—leaving genuine passengers unable to book seats during peak hours.

Officials revealed that fraudulent agents and cyber operators were exploiting bots to bypass security protocols, autofill passenger details, and complete payments at lightning speed. These illegal tools gave unfair advantages during the high-demand Tatkal window, enabling bulk purchasing and resale of tickets at inflated rates. Many of the blocked accounts were linked to such unauthorized software networks, multi-login systems, and fake user profiles created solely for scalping.

Over the past year, Railways has significantly strengthened its anti-fraud ecosystem using AI-based anomaly detection, device-fingerprinting, behavioral analytics, and multi-factor authentication. The crackdown is part of a broader digital hygiene initiative aimed at ensuring transparency and fairness in online ticketing. IRCTC has also intensified action against touts operating through Telegram channels, WhatsApp groups, and dark-web marketplaces.

Railways officials said the cleanup will continue, with ongoing audits to remove suspicious accounts and prevent new ones from emerging. The move is expected to dramatically improve the Tatkal booking experience for legitimate users by reducing artificial congestion and restoring equal access.

By eliminating bot-driven manipulation, Indian Railways aims to protect passengers’ interests and uphold the integrity of one of the world’s busiest digital ticketing systems.