Mangaluru: More than 95 Haj aspirants have been cheated of several lakhs by a travel agency with the fake promises of providing visas. A complaint was filed against the agency on 25th August, Friday.
A complaint was lodged on with the city police commissioner by M P Mohiddin Bawa, a resident of Udupi stating that the accused agency which is operating at Mission Street had taken Rs. 70,000 as advance from him for the Haj pilgrimage.
According to the complaint, Mohiddin also submitted his passport to the agency to get the visa stamped on it. However, even after the Haj pilgrimage started, his passport was not returned to him with visa. Excuses were made stating that the delay was caused due to unavoidable circumstances and asked him to wait.
Mohiddin was then told on 21st August that he would not get a chance to go on pilgrimage as the visa was not issued to him. After various inquiries he found out that the agency had cheated around 95 other Haj aspirants this year.
Mohiddin has also accused some Haj committee members and political leaders of protecting the agency and subjecting him and other Haj aspirants to mental harassment.