Uppal travel agency cheats 500 victims with pilgrimage tour offers
Hyderabad: A major fraud involving pilgrimage tours has come to light in Uppal, Hyderabad. Sri Gayatri Tours and Travels owner Bharath Kumar widely advertised pilgrimage tours to religious sites like Mansarovar and other shrines and allegedly cheated them.
Kumar collected Rs. 2-3 lakh from each person but failed to take them on trips to these holy places. He is accused of defrauding over 500 victims of approximately Rs. 15 crore through fraudulent pilgrimage tour schemes.
According to victims, Kumar gave excuses such as the COVID-19 pandemic to delay or cancel the tours. When the victims put pressure on him, he tried to blame his assistant for the misappropriation of funds. The assistant, however, alerted the victims and helped them form a group to demand justice. The group of victims lodged complaints at the Uppal Police Station, which led to Kumar’s arrest. He was subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
However, the victims staged another protest outside the Uppal police station, claiming that Kumar had resumed his tours and travel business, collecting money under the guise of organizing new tours after being released on bail. They demanded their money back and called for stringent action against the accused.
