Mumbai: Two girls help railways nab fake TC who was duping commuters

Asha Awhad, the fake ticket checker, Asha's fake TC ID. (Right) Jaya Pandey and Aashtha Sah helped nab Asha

Two college girls from Ambernath helped railway authorities nab a fake ticket checker (TC). The students have been identified as Aashtha Sah and Jaya Pandey, while the ticket checker is Asha Awhad, who is also a resident of Ambernath. She was duping commuters between Kalyan and Ambernath. Speaking about their first interaction with Asha, Jaya said, "On December 14, Aashtha and I were travelling in the first class compartment from Ambernath to Kalyan [where their college is]. Just then, Asha came to our compartment and asked to see our tickets. When we said we didn't have any, she asked us to get down at Vitthalwadi railway station."

No receipt
"She asked us to pay Rs 250 per passenger as the fine. When we gave her the money, she said she couldn't give us a receipt. She asked for our WhatsApp number, saying she'll send the receipt there. We asked her why she was charging us a lesser fine and not giving us a receipt. Then, we insisted on getting a receipt. She asked us to come to Kalyan and said it will take about two to three hours to get a receipt," she added.

Aashtha said, "We said we were ready to go to Kalyan. When the train arrived, she disappeared. We then went to Kalyan and lodged a complaint against her." There was no news about the woman being nabbed. Days later, on December 18, Aashtha spotted Asha on platform number 2 of Ambernath station. She immediately went up to her to ask for a receipt. Asha ignored her but eventually gave in. Except, the receipt had a stationery company's name on it. Right after, Aashtha headed to the station master's cabin and alerted them about Asha.

Shocked, surprised
The station master directed the RPF to nab her. In two teams of three each, the officers went to platform number 2 and stopped Asha in her tracks. Jaya said when Aashtha pointed at Asha as the fake TC, she pretended to be shocked at the allegation and asked why she was being entrapped. RPF teams took her to the station master's officer, where she removed her fake railway ID and started crying in front of the police.

Speaking to mid-day, Badlapur RPF in-charge Surendra Pratap Singh said Asha told them she's the daughter of a constable posted at the Vitthalwadi police station. She claimed her grandmother has worked for the railways, while her husband works at the Thane Municipal Corporation. "She is also well-educated, which is why we were surprised about why she was doing this. We have handed her over to the Kalyan GRP for further legal action," he added.

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