Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Kanadiya police arrested the mastermind behind a fraudulent travel company that scammed people by issuing fake travel vouchers and bookings, police said on Monday.
The accused duped a retired air vice marshal of approximately Rs 3.26 lakh under the pretext of organising a Narmada Parikrama tour. He was arrested from Mathura and has allegedly committed online fraud across multiple states.
According to the police, the accused, identified as Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh ran a fraudulent travel arrangement company named Yatra Saga. The complainant, retired air vice marshal Vivek Rajhans, had searched for a travel company on Google for a Narmada Parikrama trip. The accused provided fake hotel, vehicle, and travel bookings via WhatsApp and took Rs 3.26 lakh in payments. When Rajhans later contacted the hotels, he discovered that no reservations had been made, and no payments had been received.
Realising the fraud, he filed a complaint at Kanadiya police station, after which a police team was formed to track and arrest the accused. Following the complaint, a police team investigated over 100 mobile numbers and bank accounts linked to the accused. Initially, his location was traced to Delhi, but he frequently changed his location and turned off his mobile phone. The breakthrough came when his location was traced in Mathura. The police team, posing in disguise, nabbed him during the Phag Utsav Mela in Mathura.
Accused used IT knowledge for fraud
Sandeep Kumar and his accomplice, both IT professionals, used their technical knowledge to carry out fraudulent activities. They scammed people by using fake SIM cards and mule bank accounts. The mobile number used for the fraudulent travel company was registered under the accused’s mother’s name. Additionally, the bank account, where the money was deposited, belonged to a person in Bilaspur.
