Mumbai: A man allegedly cheated Rs 1.20 crore from over 180 people by promising them a Haj pilgrimage, said the Odisha Police. The accused was arrested by the Economic Offence Wing of the Odisha Police from Mumbai. He was taken into custody from the western metropolis on September 27.
The accused was brought to Bhubaneswar on transit remand, the police said in its official statement. The arrest was made based on a written complaint filed by one person named Khurshid of the Dhamnagar area in the Bhadrak district of Odisha, reported PTI.
The fraud reportedly took place between 2019-23. As per the complaint, two Mumbai-based tour and travel agencies had allegedly collected Rs 1.20 crore from 189 prospective Haj pilgrims during the 2019-23 period to arrange for their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
The fraudsters collected the money under two tour packages of Rs 45,786 and Rs 50,786 per individual and the proprietors went on deferring the date of pilgrimage over the years, the statement said. The owners of the travel agencies closed down their offices and could not be contacted via mobile phones, the statement said.
The prospective Haj pilgrims found them missing, the statement said. The travel agencies neither took the prospective pilgrims to Saudi Arabia nor did they refund the amount, the police statement added.
The Odisha Police also seized mobile phones, money receipts and cheques during the investigation.
(With inputs from PTI)