Man arrested for defrauding individuals in Odisha by pretending to organize Haj pilgrimage, resulting in 1.2 crore loss.

Bhubaneswar: A recent statement issued by an official on Monday revealed that the Economic Offence Wing of the Odisha Police has successfully arrested a person from Mumbai. The individual in question has been accused of duping 189 people from the state of Odisha and cheating them out of a total of Rs 1.20 crore. The accused was taken into custody on September 27 in Mumbai and has since been brought to Bhubaneswar on transit remand.

This arrest was made in response to a written complaint filed by Mir Khursid, a resident of Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district. According to the complaint, the accused, who runs two tour and travel agencies in Mumbai, had promised to arrange for Haj pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia for 189 individuals between 2019 to 2023. The accused had collected a total sum of Rs 1.20 crore from these prospective pilgrims, under two different tour packages priced at Rs 45,786 and Rs 50,786 per person. However, as time passed, the accused continuously delayed the pilgrimages and eventually closed down their office, making it impossible for the victims to contact them.

As a result, the prospective Haj pilgrims were left stranded with no means of reaching Saudi Arabia and no hope of getting their money back. The Economic Offence Wing, upon receiving the complaint, immediately took action and launched an investigation. During the investigation, they were able to seize mobile phones, money receipts, and cheques from the accused.

The police statement also revealed that the accused had neither fulfilled their promise of arranging the pilgrimages nor refunded the money to the victims. This deceitful act has caused great distress and financial loss to the unsuspecting victims. The Economic Offence Wing is continuing their investigation and will ensure that justice is served. Such fraudulent activities will not be tolerated and the offenders will be held accountable for their actions.

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