New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) intensified its anti-fraud and cybersecurity initiatives during the year to ensure genuine passengers receive fair access to ticket bookings and to curb misuse of the system.

As part of these efforts, IRCTC informed that the corporation deactivated 3.03 crore suspicious user IDs in 2025. It also intercepted substantial volumes of malicious online traffic on a regular basis, helping safeguard the integrity of the ticketing system.

In its official data, IRCTC said that in coordination with law enforcement agencies, 501 complaints were lodged on the National Cyber Crime Portal pertaining to 4.18 lakh suspicious PNRs. Additionally, 6.05 crore suspicious user IDs were placed under revalidation to verify their authenticity and prevent misuse. IRCTC also took action against fraudulent digital identities by blocking 13,343 suspicious email domains during the year.

It is informed that to provide a level playing field during high-traffic windows (such as Tatkal bookings), IRCTC uses AI/ML to detect and neutralise fraudulent accounts. The AI tracks and deactivates bulk booking agents and users exploiting disposable email addresses.

It is also notable that IRCTC has achieved significant milestones in internet ticketing during 2025-26, registering record-breaking growth in online reservations while simultaneously strengthening its mechanisms to combat cyber fraud and unauthorised bookings.

According to official data, IRCTC booked an average of 14.53 lakh tickets per day during 2025-26, marking a notable increase from the 13.88 lakh average daily bookings recorded in 2024-25. The figures underscore the growing reliance of passengers on digital platforms for railway reservations.

IRCTC also set new benchmarks in ticket booking volumes during the year. The highest-ever per-minute booking record was achieved on August 16, 2025, when 37,410 tickets were booked at 10:02 AM. Another milestone was recorded on August 19, 2025, when the platform registered its highest-ever single-day booking volume of 18.40 lakh tickets.

As per the data, digital platforms continued to dominate railway reservations, with nearly 89 per cent of all reserved railway tickets in 2025-26 being booked through IRCTC's online channels.

It is also informed that a voice and text-based chatbot named AskDisha is playing a major role in the booking of tickets, PNR status enquiry, ticket cancellations and refunds. It is powered by Microsoft Azure. The chatbot understands English, Hindi, and Hinglish, making it highly accessible to a vast user base. In FY 2025-26, about 8.12 Lakh reserved rail e-tickets were booked through Chatbot.

The combination of higher capacity and stricter checks reflects IRCTC's push to balance speed with security as digital ticketing becomes the default for millions of railway passengers.

IRCTC officials said the record numbers validate infrastructure upgrades, while the crackdown on fraudulent IDs aims to reduce Tatkal blackouts and keep the platform accessible for genuine users. (ANI)