Railways may set up cyber crime cell to prevent misuse of ticket-booking software

The Indian Railways may soon set up a cyber crime cell to prevent the misuse of the automation software on its ticket booking website, sources said on Monday, January 28. A committee has been constituted to explore the feasibility of setting up such a cell in the Railway Board, sources in the Indian Railways said.

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The six-member panel consisting of senior officials from various directorates-- engineers from CRIS, computerization and information systems, signalling and telecom, vigilance officer and security officials-- will submit its report to the board within three months.

"The committee has to basically prepare a blueprint for the board to set up the cyber crime cell. They have to recommend ways to induct persons with experience in handling such cases either on deputation or permanent absorption so as to eliminate scope of manipulation," the source said.

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"It also has to determine under which department the cell has to operate and the strength of staff and pay matrix," the source added.

Last year, the railways had informed Parliament that it had asked the Ministry of  Electronics and Information Technology to block 19 websites over concerns of misuse of the automation software on www.irctc.co.in.

The complaint came close on the heels of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) staffer's arrest for running an unauthorized IRCTC ticket racket with travel agents. The accused used illegal software to simultaneously book more than a thousand tickets through one portal.