A mobile court of Chittagong District Administration jailed three for scalping train tickets ahead of Eid yesterday.
Around 3pm, the court led by Executive Magistrate Amirul Kaisar arrested Mahfuza, 30, Shahadat Islam, 30 and Md Mamun, 30, for selling tickets in black at the Chittagong Railway Station.
Amirul told the Dhaka Tribune that following prior information given by the Rapid Action Battalion members, they arrested the three members of a black ticket selling syndicate which is active on the station with around 150 members.
“The RAB officials earlier contacted the syndicate over mobile phone and asked for a few tickets. Following this information we arrived at the station posing as passengers and found the three buying tickets at double than the usual rate today [yesterday]. They were arrested with five tickets and four codes of mobile ticket,” he said.
The three were given jail terms for seven days each.
Homebound people were found thronging the ticket counters of the station on the second day of sale of advance tickets yesterday.
Sources at the Bangladesh Railways said advance tickets for July 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 will be put on sale on July 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 respectively. The drive against ticket scalping will continue until July 13, said magistrate Amirul.