IRCTC deactivates over three crore user IDs, suspends 6.33 crore IDs
The IRCTC has deactivated over three million user IDs and suspended millions more to combat touts misusing the railway ticketing system. The company is implementing anti-bot technology and stricter authentication requirements to protect genuine users.
Why it matters
This crackdown aims to ensure fair access to railway tickets for millions of passengers by curbing illegal bulk booking practices.
In a crackdown against touts and booking agents who misuse the railway ticketing infrastructure, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has deactivated 3.04 crore user IDs, the company said on Friday (September 11, 2026).
Apart from this, the railway PSU has suspended 6.33 crore IDs citing suspicious activity. These account holders cannot book tickets until they verify their authenticity.
Agents misuse the system by making bulk bookings after creating fake user IDs and later sell the tickets at inflated rates to desperate passengers.
Since October last year, the IRCTC has been cracking down on the misuse of the railway ticketing platform by touts. It has blocked 16,041 suspicious email domains and registered 592 complaints on the Cyber Crime Portal covering 4.21 lakh suspicious PNR (passenger name record) numbers, it said.
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