Delhi: 35-year-old booking Kedarnath trip duped of ₹3 lakh by ‘travel agency’

Investigation has revealed that a large number of pages have been created on social media in the names of religious institutions and their boards

A 35-year-old woman was allegedly duped of ₹3.37 lakh on the pretext of buying a travel package to the pilgrimage town Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. Police said that several such cases have been reported and they are probing the complaints.

The victim, Anshi Gupta, is a resident of south Delhi’s Mehrauli. (Representational image)

The victim, Anshi Gupta, is a resident of south Delhi’s Mehrauli. She told police that on May 7, she came across a social media profile in the name of the “Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and IRCTC Helipad Services”. She inquired about travelling to Kedarnath through the page. She later received a call, where she was quoted ₹1.05 lakh for a package comprising six people. Gupta allegedly transferred the amount.

She said the accused subsequently demanded ₹2.32 lakh more, citing medical insurance, registration, and other expenses. Similarly, they kept asking for more money on the pretext of other expenses, and she kept paying, the complainant told police.

Finally, when she realised she was being defrauded, police said she stopped giving them money, following which they blocked her phone number. A case under charges of cheating was registered on June 11 and a probe has been initiated.

Investigation has revealed that a large number of pages have been created on social media in the names of religious institutions and their boards. These include pages related to the Char Dham in Uttarakhand, Vaishno Devi in Jammu, Balaji Dham, and Vrindavan.