If you've ever logged into IRCTC exactly at 10 a.m. to book a train ticket, only to find all seats gone in less than five minutes, you're not alone. What felt like a race against the clock was, in fact, a race against bots. A recent report by The Times of India reveals a deep-rooted digital racket operating within the country’s railway booking system, where technology was being misused to hijack public infrastructure meant for millions.
Between January and May 2025, IRCTC flagged 2.9 lakh suspicious PNRs booked within minutes of the booking window opening. These weren’t individual passengers but operators using automated bots and fake user accounts. In total, over 2.5 crore fake user IDs were deactivated and another 20 lakh flagged for re-verification. Most were created with disposable emails, used briefly and discarded, making tracking nearly impossible.
These agents were not just jumping queues. They were industrialising fraud. Tickets booked instantly were later sold to genuine travelers at inflated rates, exploiting people’s urgency and helplessness. High-demand routes and holiday seasons were the most heavily targeted. What was once petty touting has now evolved into a sophisticated digital black market.
Facing pressure, IRCTC has deployed anti-BOT technology designed to detect whether a human or software is attempting the booking. In parallel, they’ve partnered with a top content delivery network to boost booking speeds and block malicious traffic. These are important steps, but they come after years of unchecked abuse. Already, 134 cybercrime complaints have been filed and over 6,800 fake domains blocked.
Still, the average traveler continues to suffer. Even without fake IDs, the fact remains that there are simply not enough seats. Railway officials admit there is a genuine shortage of confirmed tickets and say more trains and extra coaches are being added where needed. But that’s a long-term fix. What passengers need right now is a booking experience they can trust.
The root of the issue lies in more than just bots. It’s about a systemic failure to anticipate demand, protect public platforms from exploitation, and enforce accountability. While the crackdown is a welcome move, the real test will be whether it actually helps a first-time user book a ticket without unfair competition.
To move forward, Indian Railways must maintain transparency by publishing regular progress updates on these clean-up efforts. Strengthening KYC norms and deploying better fraud detection algorithms are crucial. There also needs to be tougher legal action against those running these digital rackets, and better customer-facing tools for alternate bookings, alerts, and refund tracking.
