Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing, Odisha, has arrested one person from Mumbai in connection with Rs 1.2 crore Haj pilgrimage fraud.
The accused has been identified as Nabeel Abdul Mubin Shaikh. He was nabbed on September 27 and will be produced in a court in Balasore on September 30 after being brought to Bhubaneswar on a transit remand.
According to an EOW release, the case pertains to a complaint lodged by Mir Khursid of Kazimahala of Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district against the proprietors of ‘Al-Adam Tour & Travels’ – Firdos Bi Abdul Mubin Shaikh, her son Nabeel Abdul Mubin Shaikh and daughter Saima Anjum Shaikh, – and Md Bismillah Shaikh of AlIzma Tours & Travels of Vikhroli Kurla in West Mumbai for allegedly collecting cash of Rs 45,786 and Rs 50,786 from 189 people totalling to Rs 1.2 crores from 2019-2023, to arrange for a pilgrimage to Saudi Arab on the eve of Umrah.
“Proprietors neither took the prospective pilgrims on pilgrimage nor did they refund the amount collected from them,” the EOW said.
Investigation revealed that proprietors of Al-Adam Tour & Travel Agency floated advertisements on social media apart from distributing leaflets with lucrative packages, contact details and induced Muslim devotees to avail the opportunity under two of their tour packages of Rs.45,786 and Rs.50,786 per individual pilgrim for travelling to Mecca-Madina, during 2019-2023.
“They assured the pilgrims of cheap, secured and safe pilgrimage. Even prior to that, the agency had taken the devotees on pilgrimage which made them repose faith on the agency and avail the the tour packages. Devotees of Bhadrak, Balasore, Baripada and other parts of Odisha, deposited their respective amounts in the accounts mentioned in the advertisements through bank transfers, UPI and even in cash under money receipts given by the proprietors,” it said.
The arrested and his mother are the authorised signatories of the accounts in which the pilgrims’ had deposited the amount. “The collection continued till the first half of 2023 after which the proprietors switched off their mobile phones. Very few investors who had insisted on refund of their amounts were given cheques, which were dishonoured by the bank. The efforts to locate the office of the agency and its proprietors also proved futile.”
The release further stated that the accused diverted the deposited amount to their personal and many other accounts and even withdrew the amount by using ATM. “The agency collected huge amount of money in similar fashion for pilgrimage from the prospective pilgrims of Maharashtra and Delhi, and verification is on whether any fraudulence was committed there by the agency and its proprietor. It was also learnt that the tour packages covered catering facilities extended by Pakistani nationals. Transaction between the Pakistani nationals and the arrested accused are being verified. Several incriminating materials like mobile phones, money receipts and dishonoured cheques were seized during investigation,” it added.