Odisha Police Nab Mumbai Man for Haj Pilgrimage Fraud

The Economic Offence Wing of Odisha Police arrested a man from Mumbai for allegedly defrauding Rs 1.20 crore from 189 individuals by promising them the Haj pilgrimage. The accused was caught in Mumbai and brought to Bhubaneswar. The fraud involved two tour agencies that collected money but never arranged the pilgrimage.

The Economic Offence Wing of the Odisha Police has apprehended an individual from Mumbai on charges of defrauding Rs 1.20 crore from 189 people of the state. The accused promised them a pilgrimage to Haj, as stated in an official release on Monday.

The suspect was detained in Mumbai on September 27 and transferred to Bhubaneswar under transit remand. The arrest followed a formal complaint lodged by Mir Khursid from Dhamnagar in the Bhadrak district.

The complaint claims that two Mumbai-based travel agencies collected Rs 1.20 crore from 189 prospective Haj pilgrims between 2019 and 2023. The agencies offered two tour packages costing Rs 45,786 and Rs 50,786 per person but continually postponed the pilgrimage dates. Eventually, the agencies shut down their office and became unreachable. Police have confiscated mobile phones, money receipts, and cheques in their investigation.

(With inputs from agencies.)