Fake Signatures, Confirmed Tickets & Lakhs in Earnings: Tea Vendor’s Shocking Scam Uncovered at CSMT

In an astonishing breach of railway protocol, a tea vendor at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) has been arrested for fraudulently confirming train tickets under the VIP quota using forged signatures and official stamps. The Central Railway’s Vigilance Department uncovered the scam during a routine inspection, exposing a racket that could have earned the vendor between ₹1.5 to ₹2 lakh.

Inside the Scam: Abuse of VIP Quota

The accused, identified as Ravindra Kumar Sahu, worked in the railway canteen at CSMT and regularly served tea to senior officials. Taking undue advantage of this access, Sahu allegedly created fake signature stamps of high-ranking railway officers, including those of the Senior Divisional Finance Manager, Chief Medical Superintendent, and Chief Engineer.

With these forged credentials, he processed requests for ticket confirmations under the VIP quota—meant for emergencies and essential travel. These requests were made for passengers on the waiting list, who then received confirmed tickets without proper authorization.

Daily Ticket Confirmations for a Price

Preliminary investigations suggest that over the past three months, five to six tickets were being confirmed daily under this scheme. The vigilance team estimates that Sahu was charging passengers thousands of rupees per confirmed ticket, thereby earning lakhs by manipulating the system.

Caught During a Surprise Check

The scam was unearthed by a vigilance team comprising Chief Vigilance Inspector Jitendra Sharma and R.S. Gupta during a ticket-checking operation on the Kolkata Mail. Some passengers revealed they had paid extra money for confirmed tickets despite being on the waiting list. This raised suspicions, leading to a deeper probe that eventually pointed to the tea vendor’s role.

Sahu has now been taken into custody, and further investigations are ongoing to determine whether other railway staff were complicit in the scheme.

Railway Authorities React

Senior railway officials have expressed concern over the breach and assured strict action. “Misuse of VIP quota and forgery of signatures not only damage the credibility of our system but also deny genuine passengers their rightful bookings. We are conducting a detailed investigation and anyone found involved will face the strictest action,” an official from Central Railway stated.

This incident raises serious questions about internal oversight and access control within one of the busiest railway stations in the country.