A planned Kedarnath pilgrimage reportedly turned into an online fraud case for a 28 year old Ahmedabad woman, who allegedly lost Rs. 65,000 after contacting a person claiming to be a helicopter booking agent.
Shivani Thakkar, a sales manager at a bank and resident of Satellite, approached the police after allegedly discovering that the online booking service was fraudulent.
Woman finds booking number online
According to her complaint, Thakkar was looking for a helicopter service for her Kedarnath trip when she found a mobile number online on May 25.
She contacted the number and was allegedly told to make an upfront payment of Rs. 65,000 to secure the helicopter booking. Believing the caller was a booking agent, she transferred the amount through Google Pay from her State Bank of India account.
However, the promised booking was never made.
Alleged agent asks for more money
After receiving the payment, the alleged agent reportedly failed to arrange the helicopter booking and did not return the Rs. 65,000, despite repeated requests from Thakkar.
The caller allegedly then asked her to pay another Rs. 3,000, claiming that the additional amount was needed to process the refund.
This raised suspicion, and Thakkar realised that she may have been targeted in an online fraud.
Cybercrime complaint filed
Thakkar contacted the 1930 cybercrime helpline and registered a complaint before approaching the Satellite police station, where she filed a formal complaint against the holder of the mobile number.
Satellite Police have registered a case and started an investigation. Investigators are examining the payment trail, mobile number and other digital evidence to identify the person allegedly involved and trace the money.
The case highlights the need for travellers to verify booking platforms and service providers before making advance payments for pilgrimage related travel services.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
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