RPF busts e-ticket racket with suspected links to terror financing, money laundering; 1 held

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has busted an e-ticketing racket and arrested a madrassa-educated and self-taught software developer from Jharkhand suspected to have money laundering and terror financing links.

The accused identified as Ghulam Mustafa was arrested from Bhubaneswar.

"We are a step ahead in operation against e-ticketing racket. We have unearthed an organised gang. Its kingpin is probably sitting in Dubai. We are investigating the members of the gang, the manner in which the money is going to banks and some companies," said Arun Kumar, Director General of Railway Protection Force, here in a press conference,

"Mustafa was running a Youtube channel, in which he told people how to hack tickets. He has 566 personal IRCTC IDs and a list of 2,400 SBI branches, E-cards from Pakistan, Bangladesh and 600 regional rural banks where he is suspected to have accounts," he said.

Two laptops have been seized from his possession. The gang has also used a software named ANMS for making PAN and Aadhaar cards.

Mustafa was interrogated by the Intelligence Bureau, Special Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency, Karnataka Police for the last 10 days.

Kumar said that the dimensions of money-laundering and terror financing are suspected.

The Railway Protection Officer further named Hamid Ashraf as the 'mastermind of the racket', who was involved in the bombing of a Gonda school in 2019.

Ashraf, a software developer, was suspected to generate revenue of Rs 10-15 crore per month. He is also suspected to have fled to Dubai.