A three-wheeler driver suspected of being involved in an e-ticket scam for the Ella Odyssey train travelling from Colombo Fort to Ella was arrested by the Kandy District Crime Investigation Unit yesterday (22), with 21 tickets out of 68 seats estimated to be worth Rs. 114 000, as per Railways Department pricing.
Police received information that a former employee at the Kandy Railway Station, now transferred to Trincomalee, sent the tickets via a passenger bus to the three-wheeler driver. Following this lead, a special investigation has been initiated to arrest the individual responsible for sending the tickets. Investigations reveal that the three-wheeler driver was selling these tickets to buyers referred through phone calls, earning Rs. 2,500 daily from this illegal activity. The exact amount of money paid by the buyers for the tickets has not been disclosed yet, but the Police suspect that the transactions were completed via phone communication.
The Crime Investigation Department has also started an investigation into this ticket scam.
During the Kandy District Coordination Committee meeting, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways, Dr. Prasanna Gunasekara, revealed that the e-tickets for the Ella Odyssey train are sold out within 42 seconds of being released online. He also indicated that these tickets are later resold at higher prices to foreigners.
The Deputy Minister further accused some three-wheeler drivers near the Kandy Railway Station of being involved in this scam, and senior Police officers attending the committee meeting confirmed that an investigation would be conducted into these allegations.
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