Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: Mallus rock in more ways than one! From Kerala we have some news of a brilliant scheme by a young Malayali . Malayalis always tend to mark their presence.

On November 9, when everyone was agonizing over the long queues at banks, while  going through the demonetizing phase, a Malayali youth hailing from Ernakulam  successfully ‘pranked’ the railway authorities by booking bogus railway tickets just for the sake of currency exchange.

While the rest of India queued up in front of banks and post offices to replace their notes of 500 and 1000 denominations, this prankster did not have the patience for it. He straightaway headed to the Ernakulam North railway station’s booking counter and booked six second class-AC return tickets to New Delhi, amounting to Rs 40,800. His departure from here was on November 28 and arrival on December 15.

He used 500 and 1000 rupees notes for the purpose.

After sometime, the youth took tickets to Mumbai similarly from another counter amounting to Rs 31,800. This time the departure on November 20 and arrival on December 5.

The authorities grew suspicious when they noticed that the details furnished by the youth were of the same person’s for two different destinations. On a deeper scrutiny the railway officials doubted whether it was an act for converting the black money into white, by cancelling the tickets. They got wary

The guy  booked tickets for a total sum of Rs 71,600 and on cancellation he could receive Rs 70,000. To be specific ‘seventy thousand new notes,’ without going through any hurdle of going to the banks or any other of the prescribed places.

Though the railway officials questioned him on his third attempt to book tickets, he managed to flee from there.

Meanwhile the officials are stumped. Really,  there is no provision to move legally against the youth !

  demonetization, Kerala