Thane: Travel Firm Owner Booked for ₹15.37 Lakh Flight Ticket Booking Fraud Involving 250 Students

Thane, Maharashtra: A travel company owner based in Kalyan’s Khadakpada area has been booked for allegedly cheating a sub-agent and 250 engineering students of ₹15.37 lakh in a large-scale flight ticket booking fraud. The case was registered by Khadakpada police after the sub-agent, who handled bookings for the students, filed an official complaint.

According to police officials, the sub-agent had assigned the accused with the task of booking flight tickets for 500 students from an engineering college located in Mumbai’s Chembur area. The students were scheduled to travel to Delhi in batches over a specified period.

The accused initially fulfilled part of the agreement by successfully delivering flight tickets for the first batch of 250 students, which helped establish trust between him, the sub-agent, and the college authorities. However, the situation took a turn when the accused failed to provide tickets for the remaining 250 students, despite receiving full payment.

"The total amount collected by the accused was ₹29,78,500, out of which ₹15,37,500 was for the second batch of students who never received their tickets," said a Khadakpada police official. "Repeated attempts were made by the sub-agent to contact the travel firm and request either the pending tickets or a refund, but there was no response from the accused."

The alleged fraud is reported to have taken place over the past 10 months, prompting the sub-agent to approach authorities. Based on the complaint and the evidence submitted, police have registered an FIR against the travel firm owner under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 318(4) (cheating) and 316(2) (criminal breach of trust).

Investigations are ongoing, and police are working to trace the whereabouts of the accused.