4 arrested for duping NRIs with fake airline tickets booking website

Four people were arrested for running a fake airline ticket booking scheme targeting NRIs, cheating customers out of large sums.

Four people have been arrested for allegedly setting up a fake airline ticket booking website and Instagram page to target NRIs, offering cheap tickets to the US and Canada and duping hundreds of customers, a police officer said on Thursday.

A Mercedes S Class, ₹47 lakh in cash, and other valuables, was recovered from the key accused possession. (Representative photo)

The key accused, a 34-year-old man, was arrested from his residence in Patel Nagar. A Mercedes S Class, which he allegedly purchased with the duped money, ₹47 lakh in cash, and other valuables, was recovered from his possession. Subsequently, his associates, a 24-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 52-year-old man were arrested from Mumbai.

According to the police, the matter came to light on Tuesday when a south Delhi-based businessman approached them and alleged that his brother, who lives in Canada and was planning to come to India, was cheated out of ₹3.8 lakh on a ticket-booking platform.

During the probe, a police team discovered a fake website, “flypedia.ca,” and an Instagram page with the same name, both of which have been active for a year.

“The accused offered heavy discounts on flights from the US and Canada. They even had contact numbers with a US dialling code, which they used to target people. Several fake videos of people using the app and getting discounts were promoted on the page. After booking on the website, people would get calls from the US number for confirmation,” the DCP (southwest) Amit Goel said, adding that the tickets were never delivered.

“We found that the syndicate was being run from Delhi, Gurugram, Goa and Mumbai and mainly cheated NRIs,” the DCP said.

“The key accused had set up a call centre in Goa and had procured mule accounts from Mumbai to siphon off funds. Raids were conducted in Maharashtra, and based on the key accused’s statement, his associates were held from Mumbai,” said the DCP.

The key accused associates supplied mule accounts and bank details.