Many from Hyderabad duped of lakhs in ‘Umrah pilgrimage scam’

Hyderabad: A case of alleged online fraud was registered at Mailardevpally police station after many city residents were reportedly cheated of lakhs of rupees in the name of arranging Umrah pilgrimages.According to the complainant, Zeeshan Saad, a 31-year-old engineer from Raghavendra Colony in Rajendranagar, he came across an Instagram page titled ‘Tour 2 Umrah by Ahlan Pvt Ltd' while planning a pilgrimage with his family during Ramzan. He contacted a person identified as Syed Absaruddin through a phone number given on the page. The accused allegedly collected 3 lakh in two online transactions in December 2025, promising to arrange visas and travel documents. "However, the promised arrangements were not made, and the phone number was later switched off," Zeeshan said.
Other victims also came forward with similar allegations. According to them, payments ranging between 50,000 and 80,000 per person were collected. "We spoke to several other victims. Some alleged that travel dates were changed at the last minute, while hotel booking documents shared with them were later found to be invalid. Many claimed that communication from the organiser stopped entirely after the payments were made," said Aslam Raza Khan, a complainant, who alleged that he lost 6.7 lakh paid for eight members of his family.Based on the complaint, Police registered a case under Sections 318(4) and 316(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act. Investigation is currently on.Meanwhile, the accused company denied wrongdoing. In a series of Instagram posts, it claimed it was framed by a business partner, Ashwag Ahmed, who has 50% holdings in the company, for personal gain.The company also announced suspension of its operations in India. In a statement posted on Instagram, it cited "unforeseen operational and financial disruptions" and legal proceedings that allegedly led to the temporary freezing of its bank accounts.The company stated that operations would remain suspended from until July 14, of this year or until further notice. It further claimed that upon reopening, it intended to introduce a structured goodwill compensation programme for affected passengers, including priority rebooking, discounted packages, or complimentary Umrah arrangements, subject to terms and approvals.