PNR Check Turns Into Maths Test? Viral IRCTC Captcha Sparks Hilarious Reactions

In a post shared on X, a user claimed he was asked to solve a complex maths equation just to check his PNR status on the IRCTC website.

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The post quickly caught the attention of internet users, with many finding the situation hilarious.
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Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed
  • A passenger encountered a complex math captcha on the IRCTC website while checking PNR status
  • The captcha showed a difficult equation: (9876 × 543 − 2468) ÷ 4 = ?
  • The user shared a screenshot and joked about the unexpected difficulty of the captcha
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If you have ever checked your PNR status on the Indian Railways' website, you know the drill – you are asked to solve a simple addition or subtraction question as part of the captcha to prove you are not a bot. But for one passenger, that simple check turned into a maths exam. The passenger was left confused after the IRCTC website threw a complex maths question at him while he was trying to check his PNR status.

The captcha reportedly displayed the equation (9876 × 543 − 2468) ÷ 4 = ? before the user could proceed to check his ticket details. While IRCTC allows users to refresh and generate a different captcha, the complexity of this particular question appeared to catch the user off guard. Sharing the screenshot, the user jokingly wrote that he was only trying to check his PNR status and asked to be spared.

"Sorry for checking the PNR status, forgive me," the tweet read. 

In another post, the user poked fun at the captcha, suggesting that the maths questions on the IRCTC website had suddenly become much harder. "IRCTC captcha k math question hard aane lage hai," he wrote. 

Check out the tweet:

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The post quickly caught the attention of internet users, with many finding the situation hilarious. Social media was flooded with jokes about Indian Railways testing passengers' mathematical skills before allowing them to travel. Some said that passengers might soon need to keep calculators handy while booking tickets or checking PNR status.

One user said, "Shayad irctc tume JEE advance ke liye prepare Krna chahta hain." A second person commented, "Ok, but why did this actually make me laugh out loud?"

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A third stated, "IRCTC is offering advanced maths preparation alongside. Go ahead! Take the challenge." 

"They're making sure whosoever is using that website is literate," a fourth added. 

However, not everyone was convinced that the screenshot was genuine. Several users questioned its authenticity and suggested that it may have been edited or fake. They pointed out that IRCTC Captchas are generally much simpler, often involving basic addition or subtraction.

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