New Town Haj fraud: Man held in Hyd after returning from abroad

Kolkata: The prime accused in a major fraud case in New Town, in which hundreds of Haj pilgrims were allegedly cheated, was arrested in Hyderabad after returning to India from Kuwait. According to cops, accused Mohammad Mahabur Mondal opened a travel agency office in New Town and advertised Haj packages at Rs 50,000 per person. Lured by the offer, nearly 400 pilgrims booked slots, collectively handing over close to Rs 2 crore. However, just before the scheduled departure, last Nov, the agency office was found locked, and the owner had disappeared.
Cops said Mondal fled abroad after shutting the office."We issued a look-out notice against the man, and alerted immigration points across the country. He landed in Hyderabad on Wednesday and was detained. Immigration officials alerted us, and we sent a team to Hyderabad and took him into custody," said an officer.Cops said Mondal had carried out extensive promotions through WhatsApp groups to attract prospective pilgrims, and simultaneously began collecting money. Many of the victims reportedly saved up for months to undertake the pilgrimage, and had already began preparations for travel when the fraud came to light.The case came to cops' attention after a complaint was filed on Nov 21 at the Eco Park Police Station. The complainant alleged that he paid Rs 37 lakh to the agency on behalf of 74 Haj pilgrims.An officer said preliminary probe suggests the amount involved is Rs 2 crore, though the figure could rise as more victims come forward. "The accused will be interrogated to find if others were involved in the racket," the officer said.