Unauthorised agents, airlines’ nexus on airfares: J&K Police

The Jammu & Kashmir Police’s Crime Branch, which has been conducting an investigation into sudden surge in airfares, particularly in the Delhi-J&K sector, has found out a “nexus between airlines and unauthorised ticketing agents”. This, the police claims, creates “an artificial demand by blocking a large chunk of seats in a flight and thus ensuring a surge in price of the tickets for air travel”.

Senior Superintendent of Police Crime Branch, Kashmir, Javaid Koul told The Indian Express that the probe was initiated after the J&K government took a serious note of the “illogical surge in the price of tickets in our (Srinagar-Delhi/Srinagar-Jammu) sector” earlier this year and sought a probe. “The airlines aren’t cooperating despite several reminders. They are avoiding to hand over their records to us,’’ he said.