Gir National Park — home to the Asiatic lion and one of Gujarat’s biggest tourist draws — has been rocked by revelations of large-scale black marketing of online safari permits.
The racket, exploiting a loophole in the government’s digital booking system, has raised questions about the integrity of e-permit processes meant to make tourism transparent.
The Cybercrime Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar has arrested three men accused of manipulating the official website to hoard and resell safari permits for the Sasan Gir Jungle and Devaliya Park safaris at exorbitant rates. Those arrested are Alpeshkumar Mansukhlal Bhalani, a tour operator from Ahmedabad, and Sultan Usman Baloch and Ajoj Nurmohammad Shaikh, both from Mendarda in Junagadh.
An FIR was lodged on October 10 at the State Cybercrime Cell by the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Sasan Gir, acting on behalf of the state government. The case has been registered under BNS section 112 (organised petty crime).
The Digital Loophole
According to investigators, the accused created fake websites closely resembling the official portal — girlion.gujarat.gov.in — and duped unsuspecting tourists into entering their personal details while attempting to book safaris.
The accused then used these genuine details to make bookings on the government website but exploited a technical flaw that allowed them to upload random photographs instead of Aadhaar cards during the verification stage — a vulnerability that the system accepted.
Using this loophole, they mass-booked safari slots and later sold them to tourists at inflated prices — often two to three times higher than government rates.
Scale Of The Operation
In coordination with Gujarat Informatics Private Limited (GIPL), which manages the booking platform, investigators found that between January 2024 and December 2025, the accused had cornered nearly 12,800 of the 83,000 totalbookings, accounting for about 15% of all permits.
The network was reportedly operating through at least nine fake websites, selling weekday permits at double the price and weekend or holiday slots at even higher margins.
How The Booking System Works
For the Gir Jungle Safari, which operates between October 16 and June 15, tourists need three things: an e-permit (booked online), a vehicle, and a guide (both arranged offline).
Only the e-permit process is online — and that’s where the accused allegedly intervened. Each permit covers up to six adults and one child, costing between Rs. 900and Rs. 1,125 for Indians and Rs. 8,200 to Rs.10,250 for foreigners, depending on the day.
For Devaliya Park, which remains open throughout the year, the Gypsy Safari is priced the same as Gir Jungle Safari, while the Bus Safari costs Rs. 150–Rs. 90 for Indians and Rs. 3,280–Rs. 4,100 for foreigners.
Modus Operandi
Detective Inspector N.D. Ingrodiya was quoted in a section of the media saying, “The accused built fake websites with names strikingly similar to the official one. Tourists who landed on these sites believed they were booking legitimate safaris. Once the tourists shared their personal details, the accused used them to make actual bookings on the real government website. They discovered that even if a random image was uploaded instead of an Aadhaar card, the system accepted it — this was the loophole they exploited.”
After collecting inflated payments, the accused would share genuine e-permit PDFs with the tourists. Their local agents at the park would then handle the vehicle and guide arrangements, keeping tourists from interacting directly with forest staff — which helped the scam go unnoticed for years.
The Tip-Off And Probe
Officials began suspecting foul play in late September, after an unusual surge in mass bookings between September 25and 30. “We immediately suspended the website to prevent further misuse and informed local police,” a senior forest department officer said. The case was then transferred to the Cybercrime Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar.
Forest Department’s Appeal
Dr. Ram Ratan Nala, Conservator of Forests, Junagadh Wildlife Circle, has urged visitors to use only the official government portal.
“We appeal to all tourists to book only through girlion.gujarat.gov.in to avoid being cheated and to pay only government-approved rates,” he was quoted in a national English language daily.
The probe continues into how long the racket had been active and whether more individuals or operators are involved. Authorities have also initiated a review of the digital booking system to plug the loopholes that allowed the black market to thrive in one of Gujarat’s most prized wildlife sanctuaries.
Also Read: Gir Safari Booking Scam Alleged As Tourists Miss Out On Peak Season Permits https://www.vibesofindia.com/gir-safari-booking-scam-alleged-as-tourists-miss-out-on-peak-season-permits/
