‘Arrest cheaters of Al-Balaagh’

Unauthorised Kupwara Hajj service operator at large

11 November

 
Days after Jammu and Kashmir police arrested the prime accused of Hajeej fraud case, scores of Hajj aspirants who were duped by another such entity Al-Balaagh, a private Hajj and Umrah service provider this year, demanded the arrest of its owner as well.
 
The delegation of duped Hajj aspirants told Kashmir Reader that each one of them had paid Rs 3,30,000 to Al-Balaagh for Hajj bookings but they were duped after this company’s failure to secure visas for them. They said that each of them was also asked to deposit an additional sum of Rs 30,000 for the accommodation during the pilgrimage.
 
The delegation demanded that the fraudster, Mehjoor Ahmed Khan of Kupwara should be arrested immediately and the money should be given back to the aspirants.
One of the duped Hajj aspirant said, “The accused has not only played with their emotions but has also stopped them from performing Hajj.”
 
Al-Balaagh has duped 126 aspirants for this year’s pilgrimage. “We have been preparing for the holy journey since we paid up the money but later they duped us,” said a Hajj aspirant Mohammad Ismail Parray, a resident of Natipora.
 
He said that the height was the operator in October told the aspirants to get vaccinated and prepare for the journey as their visas were ready which would be delivered within days.
 
Parray said that they have approached few police officials but nothing has been done so far.
However, a top police official told Kashmir Reader that police had registered a FIR No: 82/2012 under section 420 of RPC (cheating) and the investigation was going on.
 
This is the second such incident in Kashmir in two years. More than 500 people were duped by Hajeej India Hospitality in 2011. Fabiyan Gilkar, who owns Hajeej India Hospitality, a private tour operator, and his brother Arsalan Wahid and father Abdul Wahid Gilkar were arrested by the police outside High Court Complex Monday.
 
The trio had approached the court with their counsel seeking a stay order on their arrest. But they were arrested as cases against them stood registered under sections, section 420 (cheating and dishonestly), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 295 of RPC (, at police station Khanyar.