Action against ‘fraud’ travel agents continues in Ludhiana

20 FIRs lodged on Saturday against 43 people accused of duping people on the pretext of sending them abroad

The police continued action against fraud travel agents and lodged 20 more FIRs on Saturday against 43 persons accused of duping people on the pretext of sending them abroad.

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Police commissioner Rakesh Agarwal said that several complaints had been pending with the police, and now 45 special teams have been formed to dispose of the cases.

The cases have been registered under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 24 of the Immigration Act against the accused. On Friday, the police had lodged 83 FIRs and booked 185 accused.

One of the victims, Balwinder Singh of Deep Nagar, Khanna, stated that he had filed a complaint against a travel agent and his aides on January 8, 2020, for lodging an FIR. He added that the accused – Kamaldeep Singh of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar and his wife Manjit Kaur – had duped him of Rs 27 lakh on the pretext of sending him and his family members to Canada. The accused neither returned the money nor sent them abroad. Later, the accused even stopped receiving his calls. An FIR has been lodged against the accused at Division 8 police station.

According to police officials, the accused used to change their location and name after duping people to avoid police action. They used to avail offices on rent and after operating there for some time, they would move to different locations and start the same business under a different name.

The police commissioner has advised people to check the authenticity of travel agents before giving them any money. He added that there is a list of authentic and licensed travel agents on the website of the Union external affairs ministry. People should check the list before approaching the agents to avoid harassment and monetary loss.