Jaipur: The forest department Tuesday ordered officials to file an FIR against a guide in Ranthambore National Park for allegedly tampering with an official safari ticket and attempting to mislead authorities.The department also barred the guide, identified as Mohammad Rafiq, who also served as president of Nature Guide Association for nearly a decade, from entering the park till further orders. According to an order issued by the deputy conservator of forests (Tourism), Ranthambhore Tiger Project, Rafiq sent a manipulated ticket via WhatsApp to senior officials, including the chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) and the field director. The order reads, “The ticket, bearing order ID PINK 6730102396 and ticket number 1014015643, was originally booked for Oct 23, 2025, for zone 2, morning shift, but was allegedly edited to show a visit for Oct 27, 2025. He reportedly used it to question the park’s booking process and made baseless allegations against the department.” A departmental inquiry confirmed the ticket was forged, noting that altering official records and misleading the department constitutes a serious offence that tarnishes the image of the park. The order also referred to a previous incident dated October 26, 2022, in which Rafiq allegedly facilitated the entry of 11 Indian and foreign tourists into the park using fake tickets. Meanwhile, Rafiq alleged that despite repeated complaints, the DFO (Tourism) continues to deny any negligence in safari booking system. According to him, “There is massive corruption in both online and offline bookings for gypsies and canters. The prices are highly inflated, and most tourists can no longer afford safaris. Since I was raising these corruption issues, the action was taken against me with malafide intentions.” He said, “I personally tested the system and found that the booking website remains non-functional between 11.30pm and 2.30am, but after 2.30am. it suddenly becomes active. Surprisingly, I found tickets for zone 4 booked under the current quota at 1.55am, with around nine tickets issued — which clearly indicates manipulation.”
