India, May 7 -- Central Railway (CR) has unearthed a new fraud involving the misuse of the foreign tourist (FT) quota, with tickets being booked without valid documents, officials aware of the matter said.

Railway authorities found that 39 out of 174 PNRs generated across 31 CR trains were irregularly booked under the FT quota over a period of nearly 50 days starting April 24. The FT quota is meant for passengers holding foreign passports and is typically used for premium long-distance trains.

CR initiated a probe on February 4 after ticket-checking staff on board the Sanghamitra Express found passengers travelling under the FT quota without the required documents, officials said.

"During a routine inspection, vigilant ticket-checking ...