NRI among 11 travel agents booked for duping 7 of Rs 46L

Tribune News Service

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, April 15

Eyeing greener pastures abroad, Amritsar youth continued to fall prey to fraudsters who are taking advantage of their (victims) desperation of settling on foreign shores and in the process they are losing their hard earned money.

In the latest as many as seven persons were duped of over Rs 46 lakh by fake travel agents on pretext of sending them abroad for fulfilling their dreams of green pastures. The police have booked 11 persons, including an Australian NRI, for fraud and under the Punjab Travel Professional Regulation Act.

The cases were registered after taking legal opinion and following lengthy investigations by ACP rank officials who recommended registration of FIRs in these cases.

Opinber Singh Madaan, who originally hailed from the Mall Road area and currently settled at Sydney in Australia, was booked by the Civil Lines police for defrauding Dara Singh, a local resident of Rs 10 lakh. The victim had lodged a complaint with the police in June last year. He alleged that the accused lured him of providing a job in his gold and diamond company.

In another incident, Rakesh Singh, a local resident lost Rs 14.28 lakh to the alleged fraudsters, identified as Harpreet Singh and Akshay Awasthi of Majitha Road. The complainant had lodged a complaint in July last year. He alleged that the accused took Rs 9.16 lakh and Rs 5.12 lakh on different dates through bank account for sending his son Rishabh Thakur to Canada on study visa.

Similarly, Gaurav Ghai of Islamabad was booked on the complaint of Satnam Singh who alleged that the accused took Rs 7.14 lakh from him for sending his son Jasmeet Singh to Portugal. But he neither sent him abroad nor returned the money.

Ranjit Avenue police had booked Amandeep Singh of Ludhiana and Baljit Kaur of Eurocane Global Education and Immigration Services at Ranjit Avenue for cheating Hemant Kumar Dubey. He lodged a complaint against them in September last year. Dubey alleged the accused promised to send his son Ramandeep Singh Dubey to Malta and took Rs 2.20 lakh for the same.

Another local resident Jasmit Singh alleged that Narinder Pal Singh of Guru Nanak Nagar in Gurdaspur cheated him and another victim Parminder Singh Batala of Rs 5.70 lakh for sending them to UK. Narinderpal used to run a travel agency at Kahnuwan road at Batala.

Another fake travel agent Gurinderjit Singh of Ludhiana was booked by police on the complaint of Shamsher Singh in May last year. He alleged travel agent duped the victim of Rs 4.75 lakh. He alleged the accused gave him fake visa for going abroad.

Akash, Sagar and Amand of Ranjit Avenue allegedly defrauded Varun Vaid for sending him to Dubai. Vaid alleged the accused took Rs 2.27 lakh from him. They handed him a fake visa and ticket on WhatsApp.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Parminder Singh Bhandal said though further investigations were under progress in these cases and efforts were on to nab the suspects, he said the people should also check the credentials of these travel agents before trusting them and handing their hard earned money to them.

Check credentials before trusting agents

DCP Parminder Singh Bhandal said though further investigations were under progress in the cases and efforts were on to nab the suspects, people should also check the credentials of travel agents before trusting them and handing their hard earned money to them.

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