CBI cracks down on Indian Airlines ticket racket

MUMBAI, JULY 14: The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mumbai, has arrested four persons for their all...

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MUMBAI, JULY 14: The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mumbai, has arrested four persons for their alleged involvement in the misuse of SOL (staff on leave) category of tickets. The complaint was filed by the vigilance department of the Indian Airlines (IA), and a larger investigation is on hand.

Two of the four arrested are also charged with impersonation for having tried to travel from Mumbai to Calcutta on July 10 on tickets meant for one Ajit Kumar Bhattacharya and Mrs S B Bhattacharya. Airlines sources said the alleged impersonators, Bharat Parekh and Uma Parekh, were caught when their baggage tags read names other than the names on the tickets. Apparently, they had returned to Mumbai that day on an international flight and were taking the flight to Calcutta on tickets meant for the Bhattacharyas, but had forgotten to remove their baggage tags!

Every employee of the IA gets six SOL tickets on concession per year, including free tickets, depending on the years ofservice put in, etc. The facility is meant to cover his/her spouse and blood relations. However, sources claim, there is rampant misuse of this facility in the airlines, though it is difficult to detect.

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The other two arrested are Vishwajit Baral and A K Sarkar, who are supposed to be the agents in Mumbai and Calcutta, respectively. Whether any of these are employees of the IA is not yet known. Sarkar allegedly procured the tickets from the IA’s Calcutta commercial office in the names of the Bhattacharyas. The tickets are sold to the customers at half their actual rate.

The four have been produced before the CBI special court of S R Mehra. While Sarkar has been taken into custody, Bharat and Uma Parekh and Baral were granted bail.

Sources in the IA say it is now imperative that the photographs of relatives of an employee entitled to the facility are kept with the airlines office so that a quick check can be done in case of such travellers.