Mumbai: Tour Agency Operator In Dahisar Arrested For Cheating Senior Citizen Of ₹5.5 Lakh In New Zealand Tour Scam

The Dahisar police have taken custody of a 32-year-old owner of a tourist agency, who has been booked in nine cases of duping his clients by offering attractive tour packages. In the latest case, the accused, Tejas Shah, 32, owner of Purva Holidays, has been arrested for allegedly cheating a 61-year-old man of Rs5.5 lakh on the pretext of a New Zealand tour.

The Dahisar police first arrested Shah a few months ago, after which various police stations took him into custody. He was recently in the custody of the Malabar Hill police. Recently, the Dahisar police again arrested him. Shah has been sent to judicial custody.

According to the police, Shah operated Purva Holidays in Dahisar East and promised clients attractive packages for foreign tours. Subsequently, he collected their money and later provided various excuses to cancel the trips, said the police, adding that he didn't even return the money.

In his complaint to the Dahisar police, senior citizen Mahendra Panchal, a businessman residing in Goregaon West, said that he had planned a foreign tour in June 2023. He came across an advertisement for Purva Holidays in a newspaper, through which he contacted Shah. The latter offered him a New Zealand tour package, saying that if he paid the full amount, he would receive a 50% discount on the next tour.

Panchal said that he had already booked flight tickets and that he paid Rs5.5 lakh to Shah for accommodation and food for two people. The tour date was set for December 1, 2023. A few days later, Panchal and his wife visited Shah’s office where they were provided with all the tour details. However, two days before the journey, the accused told the senior citizen that the tour had been cancelled without providing a reason, said the complaint.

Shah issued a cheque of Rs5.5 lakh, but it turned out to be dud, said Panchal, adding that he repeatedly tried to contact him, but his phone remained switched off. He further said that he later learnt that the accused had cheated several other people in a similar manner.