Railway authorities in Mumbai have uncovered a new modus operandi used by unscrupulous commuters to bypass the geo-fencing system and book train tickets from inside the train. The railway’s UTSonmobile app utilizes geo-fencing technology to restrict ticket bookings to users within 5km and 20 metres away from the boarding station. However, an unidentified person has created a website that provides PDF links containing QR codes for every suburban station, allowing passengers to bypass the geo-fencing. By scanning the QR code from the website, passengers can book tickets from anywhere, even from inside the train. To ensure bookings are made from the boarding station, the UTS app does not allow scanning of QR code images from the mobile’s photo gallery. However, some commuters have found a workaround for this as well. They ask co-passengers to take a picture of the QR code after opening the link of the station, allowing them to scan the QR code from their co-passenger’s screen and complete the booking. This practice is particularly prevalent in air-conditioned trains with vestibule coaches, which provide passengers with an end-to-end view of at least six coaches. In this scenario, a ticketless traveler in an adjoining coach can easily book a ticket while the Ticket Train Examiner (TTE) is busy checking tickets in another coach, which takes approximately 5 minutes. Some passengers also carry photocopies of QR codes of enroute stations, enabling them to bypass the geo-fencing lock. Railway officials have alerted the ministry about this issue, and it is expected that measures will be implemented to prevent this malpractice. One proposed solution is the use of dynamic QR codes that change every few minutes, rather than the current static QR codes that can be easily shared and scanned. This incident has raised concerns about the security and integrity of the existing ticketing system and emphasizes the need for stronger measures to ensure transparent and reliable ticketing for all commuters.