JAGATSINGHPUR: Travel agents from Haridwar in Uttarakhand have allegedly cheated a 50-year-old man of Jagatsinghpur district of Rs 4.40 lakh on the pretext of arranging a pilgrimage for his family.
The victim, Bighnaraj Chand of Sipi village, lodged a complaint in Jagatsinghpur police station in this regard on Saturday. Chand alleged that after being referred by one of his son’s acquaintances, he contacted travel agent Sahil Saini of Haridwar to arrange a Char Dham Yatra during May last year.
Later, he transferred the tour cost of Rs 4,40,000 to Saini in eight installments through PhonePe from the account of his son. As per the plan, Chand and his wife Manjubala booked air tickets from Bhubaneswar to Dehradun on May 13, 2025 with return tickets for May 19, 2025. They had planned to start the Char Dham Yatra from Dehradun on May 14.
On May 10, Chand’s son contacted Saini to enquire about the tour plan amid tensions between India and Pakistan and cancellations of flight operations due to security issues. Saini reportedly assured him that the trip would be rescheduled to the next available date.
However, after the situation normalised, Saini allegedly did not provide any new date for the pilgrimage tour. He repeatedly assured that the money was safe and could be used for 2026 Char Dham Yatra. Later, when Chand’s son requested cancellation of the trip and refund of the money, the accused started to avoid phone calls and messages.
When the schedule for the 2026 yatra was announced, Chand’s son contacted Saini again on March 4 this year. During conversation, the accused along with one Punit allegedly threatened to kill him if he contacted them again.
Investigation officer Anil Kumar Sahoo said police have registered a case against the two travel agents under sections 318(4), 296, 351(3) and 3(5) of the BNS. Further investigation is underway, he added.