3.02 Crore Fake IRCTC IDs Removed: Railways’ New Security Push
Indian Railways has quietly pulled off one of the largest digital clean-ups we’ve seen from any government platform. Over the last year, the ticketing system has been combed through, and roughly 3.02 crore fake IRCTC IDs have been shut down. For regular passengers, it might sound like just another number, but anyone who has tried booking a Tatkal ticket knows how big this is.
The disclosure came during a Parliament session when Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was replying to a question. There wasn’t much drama around it, but people who follow ticketing issues sat up immediately. For years, passengers have complained that tickets disappear the moment the Tatkal window opens, almost as if someone is sweeping them off the screen. Turns out, they weren’t imagining things. A huge chunk of these bookings were being cornered by bots and fake IDs.
A railway official familiar with the clean-up said most of these IDs never belonged to real people. Many were generated in bulk by software that can create dozens of accounts in a blink. The purpose? Flood the ticketing system during the peak minute when Tatkal bookings open, grab seats, and push them into an unofficial market. Passengers who were desperate or travelling in emergencies often paid inflated amounts to unauthorised agents, thinking it was their only option. With this clean-up, the ministry is trying to break that loop once and for all.
Anti-Bot Tools Finally Tightening the Gate
One of the main reasons this clean-up became possible is because Railways finally brought in stronger anti-bot filters. Technologies like AKAMAI have been added to the system to watch incoming traffic patterns. When a single computer tries to behave like a hundred different people, the system can now catch that. Earlier, these bot programmes were running circles around the ticketing platform, acting faster than any human ever could.
Officials claim the new filters have already reduced suspicious activity. It’s easier to spot accounts that fire hundreds of booking attempts or login requests every few seconds. Many of the deleted accounts surfaced only because the new system flagged them instantly.
Aadhaar-Based OTP Slowing Down Tatkal Abuse
Another big change is the Aadhaar-linked OTP step for Tatkal bookings. Before this, anyone could create multiple user IDs with minimal friction. Now, during the Tatkal window, the system demands an OTP that has to go through an Aadhaar-verified number. In fact, this system has been put in place for more than 322 trains.
Read More: New Indian Railways Update: Aadhaar OTP Needed For Tatkal On 322 Trains
Indian Railways has also started implementing Aadhar OTP Verification for tickets booked at the counter. More than 211 trains require similar OTP verification when booked through the counters.
Read More: OTP to Be Mandatory for Tatkal Ticket Booked At the Counter Soon
What’s interesting is that Railways has noticed an improvement in confirmed Tatkal availability in roughly 65% of these trains. It’s not a miracle cure, but it does show that the balance is shifting back toward genuine travellers.
Suspicious PNRs Sent for Cyber-Crime Review
Railways has also begun flagging PNRs that look suspiciously booked. Complaints related to these questionable bookings have been forwarded to the National Cyber Crime Portal. This isn’t just a paper formality; it shows that the ministry wants to track the organised groups behind the fake profiles, especially those who operate from the shadows using ticketing agents and automated tools.
For people who have booked their tickets and got a Waiting List (WL) or Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) ticket, there is no need to lose hope. If someone cancels their train ticket, it might get confirmed. Check your PNR Status now with RailMitra without any cost.
System Security Getting a Full Check-Up
What most passengers don’t see is the back end where the entire reservation system sits. The Railways IT team has added multiple protective layers: firewalls, intrusion-prevention tools, and access control checks. The data centre, which normally keeps a low profile, has gone through upgrades too.
CERT-In and NCIIPC are also watching the online traffic round the clock. They track unusual spikes, repeated attempts from suspicious networks, and possible attempts to breach the server. Regular audits by certified cybersecurity agencies have become routine, instead of occasional check-ins.
What All This Means for Passengers
Anyone expecting Tatkal bookings to suddenly become easy is setting themselves up for disappointment. Demand is still high, and people will continue crowding the 10 AM and 11 AM windows. But the difference now is that genuine passengers are slowly getting a fairer shot. With millions of fake IDs wiped out, automated booking attempts have dropped, especially during those few minutes that matter most.
Before booking their tickets, passengers must check if there are seats available or not. They can do so using RailMitra’s free train seat availability service.
The Aadhaar verification adds another layer of fairness. It makes it harder for touts and bots to behave like legitimate users. And while the full effect may take time, the direction is clear, Railways wants its ticketing system to be a place where the fastest human fingers, not scripts and shady software, determine who gets the seat.
Railways’ move to delete 3.02 crore fake IRCTC IDs sends a strong message to the groups running these operations. The system they exploited for years is now closing in on them. For the average passenger, this clean-up might not feel dramatic, but it brings a quiet reassurance that the process is becoming more transparent, one layer at a time.