Railways Cracks Down On Ticket Bots

Intervening against automated algorithmic fraud and unauthorized server-side manipulation, Bangladesh Railway moved decisively to neutralize malicious digital ticket-scalping networks on 8 October, Thursday. Disclosures revealed that an unapproved domain, ‘bookmyrailbd.com’, deployed sophisticated automated bot scripts to artificially hold and block massive inventories across the official electronic ticketing infrastructure, reselling them illicitly at exorbitant rates.

Authorities identified that this targeted cyber anomaly hindered genuine commuters from accessing fair digital reservations while compromising state transit services. To protect commuter access and reinforce system integrity, Bangladesh Railway executed a three-pronged countermeasure across technical and legal fronts.

The railway directed its official systems vendor, Shohoz Limited, to immediately configure enterprise-grade bot-mitigation rules, enhance anti-scraping filters, and audit application interfaces. Simultaneously, an official communication was sent to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to deploy specialized cyber units to track digital signatures, trace IP origins, and apprehend the criminal network. Additionally, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) was formally requested to enforce systemic DNS and IP blocks against the illicit website, hosting infrastructure, and related mobile binaries nationwide.

Emphasizing digital hygiene and cyber awareness, transit officials urged commuters strictly to process bookings through the verified web portal ‘eticket.railway.gov.bd’ or the official ‘Rail Sheba’ mobile software client. Commuters were advised to avoid dubious platforms and promptly report suspicious bot activities or ticketing scalping to enforcement authorities. //DBTech/PR/SME/PC//