MALIGAON, SEPTEMBER 11 (MExN): In a nationwide investigation drive, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has disrupted the operation of an illegal software called ‘Real Mango’ used for cornering confirmed Railway reservation. In view of the apprehension of increase in touting activity after restart of the passenger services, drive against touts was intensified by Railway Protection Force (RPF) in entire Indian Railways. Operation of an illegal software called “Rare Mango” (later changed its name to “Real Mango”) was revealed on August 9 during action against touts by the field units of RPF.
RPF units of North Central Railway (NCR), Eastern Railway (ER) and Western Railway (WR) apprehended some suspects and initiated the process of understanding and unscrambling the operation of Rare Mango/Real Mango Software. In course of systematic unscrambling of the working of the illegal software, it has been found that ‘Real Mango’ software bypasses V3 and V2 captcha; synchronises bank OTP with help of a mobile app and feeds it to the requisite form automatically; auto-fills the passenger details and payment details in the forms; logs in to the IRCTC website through multiple IRCTC ids. The software is sold through 5 tiered structure: System Admin & his team, Mavens, Super sellers, Sellers and Agents. The system admin receives payment in bit coins.
Field units of RPF have been able to apprehend 40 criminals so far including the King pin (system developer) and key managers involved in operation of this illegal software and block live tickets worth more than Rs 5 Lakhs. Five key operatives of the illegal software have been arrested from West Bengal. The software has now been fully decimated. A press release from the NFR meanwhile informed that the RPF under its region has been conducting raids against touting activities and during the current year up to August 2020, 74 touts were apprehended and prosecuted for selling railway tickets illegally. 68 cases were registered under section 143 of the Railway Act. Total value of seized tickets (including future journey and past journey) is Rs. 23, 10,553.47 during this period. RPF/NFR was also successful in apprehending and prosecuting 76 touts in the 2019.
