50 days, 30 cases, ₹2.92 crore fraud: Police crackdown on travel agents in Patiala

With the royal city turning out to be a hub for travel agents and IELTS centres over the years, as many as 84 travel agents have been registered under the Punjab Travel Professionals’ Regulation (PTPR) Act, 2012.

In the past two months,Patiala police have registered as many as 30 cases against the travel agents for fraud of ₹2.92 crore with gullible aspirants in the name of sending them abroad.

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Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu said the police had launched a special campaign against the unregistered travel agents from July 13 to August 31 and registered 30 cases under Sections of cheating and Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act across different police stations in the district.

“During the detailed inquiry, it came to the fore that the accused travel agents have siphoned ₹2.92 crore from the victims, who wanted to visit abroad in search of greener pastures,” the SSP said.

He added that the police stations concerned and investigation officers have been directed to arrest the accused immediately so that cash recovery can be made in these cases soon.

“In addition, the investigation officers have been instructed to file a charge sheet so that the cases can be taken to logical conclusions,” SSP Sidhu said.

With the royal city turning out to be a hub for travel agents and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) centres over the years, as many as 84 travel agents have been registered under the Punjab Travel Professionals’ Regulation (PTPR) Act, 2012, here.

Besides, travel agents, IELTS coaching centres, ticketing agents and immigration consultants, are to be covered under the PTPR Act.

The Act was enacted for regulating the operations of travel agents with a view to check their illegal and fraudulent activities, especially human trafficking in 2012.

Requirements for the registration

• A licence fee of ₹1lakh for the firms older than five years, while ₹25,000 for others

• No criminal case against owner of the agency

• Details of clients, along with the fee charged from them to be submitted every six months to the administration

• Verification of all information by the police

• Renewal of registration every five years

• Prior permission to hold seminars and putting up advertisements

• Cancellation of licence in case of any fraud or illegal practice