Fake TTE? Woman Collects Fines From Falaknuma Express Passengers Before Man Demands Her ID Card

A woman posing as a ticket examiner levied fines of up to Rs 1,400 from passengers on the Falaknuma Express before one of them challenged her identity.

A woman boarded the sleeper coach of the Falaknuma Express wearing a card around her neck and presenting herself as a ticket examiner, then began collecting penalties from passengers. The train runs between Secunderabad Junction in Hyderabad and Howrah in West Bengal.

According to an account shared by a passenger named Hitik Roshan Das, the woman moved through the coach in the presence of railway staff and RPF personnel. Fines of Rs 1,300, Rs 1,350 and Rs 1,400 were collected from travellers heading towards Odisha, he alleged.

Das said the general coach was crowded, leaving him without a seat, so he had moved to the sleeper coach to sit quietly without disturbing anyone. It was then, he said, that the woman entered the bogie claiming to be a TTE.

He also alleged that an extra Rs 750 was being demanded from passengers beyond what was due.

The matter turned when a passenger questioned her and asked to see her identification. A heated argument followed, which was recorded on camera. In the video, the woman can be heard asking the passenger to speak calmly.

Das raised questions in his post about why such demands repeatedly fall on poorer passengers, and why travellers are not seen as entitled to check the identity of railway officials. He asked why railway police and staff did not notice what was happening, and what action follows when someone impersonates a TTE to extract money.

He said his purpose was not retaliation but creating awareness among passengers about their rights, their dignity, transparency and justice.

The video drew praise for the passenger who challenged her, with users commenting that his response showed the value of education and awareness. One user wrote that this is what education does, while another said it reflects both what a person has studied and the confidence in their voice.