Engineer dupes man of Rs 2.83 lakh on pretext of organising Haj pilgrimage

New Delhi: A 24-year-old engineer was arrested for allegedly duping a man of nearly Rs 3 lakh on the pretext of providing tickets for Haj pilgrimage at cheaper rates, police said on Monday.

The accused, Mohammad Irfan, was nabbed from Lucknow, they said.

According to the police, he used to lure victims by posting advertisements on social media. Irfan was previously found involved in a similar case registered in Lucknow, in which he came out on bail in 2022, they said.

“The accused is a B.Tech graduate in computer science from a reputed college in Mumbai. He cheated a Delhi-based man of Rs 2.83 lakh in the name of providing travel assistance for flight tickets, stay at hotels in Saudi Arabia and visa for Haj/Umrah at a lower fare,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Joy Tirkey said.

The complainant, Sadik (23), alleged that on April 6, he came across a social media profile in the name of Danish Travels, providing tickets for Haj pilgrimage at a cheap rate, police said.

“Sadik called on the number and eventually got cheated of Rs 2.83 lakh in the name of several processing fees,” the DCP said.

Following this, an FIR was registered and an investigation was taken up. The money trail was checked and Irfan was nabbed from Lucknow, he said.

Five mobile phones and a laptop have been recovered from Irfan’s possession. Further investigation in the case is in progress, the police said.