The Kanadiya Police arrested the mastermind behind a fraudulent travel company that scammed people by issuing fake travel vouchers and bookings. The accused, identified as Sandeep Kumar, was arrested from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, and has allegedly committed online fraud across multiple states.
The complainant, Vivek Rajhans, a retired Air Vice Marshal, was duped into paying approximately Rs 3.26 lakh for a Narmada Parikrama tour organized by Kumar’s fraudulent travel company, Yatra Saga. Rajhans had searched for a travel agency on Google for the tour and came across Kumar’s company. Kumar provided fake hotel, vehicle, and travel bookings through WhatsApp, taking the full payment of Rs 3.26 lakh. When Rajhans later contacted the hotels, he learned that no reservations had been made and no payments had been received.
Realizing he had been scammed, Rajhans filed a complaint at the Kanadiya Police Station, prompting a police investigation. A team was formed to track and apprehend the accused. The police investigated over 100 mobile numbers and bank accounts linked to Kumar. Initially, Kumar’s location was traced to Delhi, but he kept changing locations and turned off his phone. The breakthrough came when the police traced his whereabouts to Mathura.
During the Phag Utsav Mela in Mathura, the police, disguised to avoid detection, successfully arrested Sandeep Kumar.
Kumar, along with his accomplice, who is also an IT professional, used their technical expertise to run the fraudulent operation. They used fake SIM cards and mule bank accounts to carry out their scam. The mobile number used for the fraudulent company was registered under Kumar’s mother’s name, and the bank account where the funds were deposited belonged to a person in Bilaspur.
