BEIJING - Railway police have arrested 1,083 individuals suspected of train-ticket scalping in 1,013 cases nationwide involving 196 gangs, the public security bureau of the Ministry of Railways said on Wednesday.

To counter ticket scalping, railway police have implemented stronger supervision over ticket sales around ticket windows as well as booking outlets.

Police have also focused on railway stations in tourism cities and uncovered numerous cases through tips provided by travelers.

According to railway police, in order to buy even more tickets that they'll later resell at significantly higher prices, scalpers hire people to stand in line and purchase tickets for them. Scalpers have also been engaged in fraud via the Internet, police said.

In an effort designed to curb ticket scalping, Chengdu railway police have dispatched 51 special police units to cities where scalping is prominent, such as Chongqing, Guiyang and Xichang.

In January, railway police in the southeastern city of Guangzhou busted five gangs for producing and selling fake ID cards for train-ticket scalping. Ten suspects were arrested and more than 11,000 fake IDs were seized during the raid.