Jagatsinghpur: Travel agents Uttarakhand’s Haridwar have alleged duped a native of Odisha of Rs 4.40 lakh under the pretext of organising a family pilgrimage to the sacred Char Dham sites.
The victim, Bighnaraj Chand (50) of Sipi village , lodged the complaint at Jagatsinghpur police station on March 7.
According to the conplainant, he was introduced to travel agent Sahil Saini through an acquaintance of his son. He transferred Rs 4,40,000 in eight instalments via PhonePe from his son’s bank account in May 2025, for the Char Dham Yatra for himself and his wife, Manjubala.
The couple had even booked air tickets booked flights from Bhubaneswar to Dehradun for May 13, planning to begin their pilgrimage the next day and return on May 19. However, escalating tensions between India and Pakistan around that period led to widespread flight cancellations and security concerns, disrupting travel plans across the region.
Reports from Uttarakhand at the time indicated significant impacts on the Char Dham Yatra, with hotels in key areas like Joshimath reporting up to 50% booking cancellations and many pilgrims opting to postpone or cancel trips due to flight disruptions and uncertainty.
Chand’s son contacted Saini on May 10 to check on the itinerary amid these developments. The agent reportedly assured that the tour would be rescheduled to a later date once conditions normalised. After the situation stabilised, however, Saini allegedly failed to provide any updated schedule. He repeatedly claimed the funds were secure and could be applied toward the 2026 Char Dham Yatra. When the family requested a cancellation and full refund, Saini began evading calls and messages.
On March 4, following the announcement of the 2026 yatra schedule, Chand’s son reached out to the agent again. During the conversation, Saini, along with an associate identified as Punit, allegedly threatened to kill him if he contacted them again.
A case has been registered against Sahil Saini and Punit under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 318(4), 296, 351(3), and 3(5), which pertain to cheating, criminal intimidation, and related offences, and further investigation is underway, police sources said.
