Bhubaneswar, Aug. 5 -- A fake VVIP railway ticket racket allegedly running for nearly two years was exposed after a forged reservation request carried an outdated Raj Bhavan letterhead instead of the officially renamed Lok Bhavan, police said.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the alleged mastermind, Amrish Thakkar, a garment businessman from Mumbai's Ghatkopar, initially secured genuine VIP quota tickets after his business was hit during the Covid pandemic. Police alleged that when such requests were no longer accepted, he resorted to forged recommendation letters carrying fake letterheads, signatures and official seals to obtain VVIP quota reservations.

The alleged fraud came to light in February 2026 after Central Railway ...