Odisha EOW arrest man for duping Muslims devotees in the name of Mecca pilgrimage

The police arrested Nabeel Abdul Mubin Shaikh from Mumbai on September 27 over several charges, including cheating.

Published on: Sep 30, 2024, 15:19:34 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha police on Monday said they have arrested one person for allegedly duping 189 Muslim devotees from the state on the pretext of taking them on a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

A view of Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in the holy Muslim city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. (Reuters File Photo)

The police arrested Nabeel Abdul Mubin Shaikh from Mumbai on September 27 over several charges, including cheating, and produced him before a Balasore court on Monday under the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors Act.

“Shaikh, who runs a travel agency named ‘Al-Adam Tour & Travels’ along with his father Firdos Bi Abdul Mubin Shaikh and sister Saima Anjum Shaikh, in association with Md. Bismillah Shaikh who runs AlIzma Tours & Travels in Vikhroli Kurla area of Mumbai, have been accused of taking money from 189 Muslim devotees in Odisha with the promise of taking them on Umrah. The two travel agencies took around ₹96,000 from each of the pilgrims, amounting to Rs.1.2 crore, from 2019 to 2023. But the two travel agencies neither took them on the pilgrimage, nor refunded the amount to the Muslim devotees from Bhadrak, Balasore, Baripada and other parts of Odisha. When the devotees insisted on the refund, the two travel agencies provided them cheques that were dishonoured by the bank,” a senior EOW official said.

The agencies also allegedly collected huge amounts in similar fashion from pilgrims of Maharashtra, Delhi and other places.

Umrah is a pilgrimage undertaken by Muslims, which can be performed at any time except during the Hajj season.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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