Police busts travel scam worth 5.22 crores using fake Bhutan tickets, arrests one

A family's eagerly anticipated trip to Bhutan was brought to a shocking halt at the Kolkata airport when they discovered their flight tickets were fake. Their dream vacation turned into a nightmare as Bhutanese airline officials informed them that the PNR number on their boarding passes was invalid and already registered to other passengers. This incident was the first domino in the unraveling of a massive fraud amounting to over 5 crore, orchestrated by a couple who allegedly ran a sophisticated fake ticket racket.

The family, who had purchased their tickets through a well-known private tourism company, immediately contacted the agency. To their surprise, the agency itself was a victim, having procured a large number of tickets from a company that presented itself as an authorized agent for two Bhutanese airlines. As an investigation began, the shocking scale of the fraud became clear, with police alleging that a staggering sum of 5 crore 22 lakh had been embezzled through the sale of forged PNR numbers.

Lalbazar detectives from the Fraud Prevention Wing launched a full-scale investigation into the matter. Their probe revealed that the scam had affected hundreds of people from Kolkata and various districts across the state, all of whom had been duped out of crores of rupees. Based on the investigation, the alleged mastermind of the racket, Samit Roychowdhury, was arrested by detectives from Chinsurah in Hooghly. Police believe there are at least six more members in the gang.

According to the police, the modus operandi of the scam was meticulously planned. The tourism agency, with its office in Kasba, South Kolkata, offered package tours to various destinations, with Bhutan being a popular choice. Samit Roychowdhury's agency approached them, claiming to be an authorized agent for two Bhutanese airlines and providing some authentic-looking documents.

Initially, a few legitimate tickets were provided to build trust. However, once a relationship was established, Samit's agency began sending a barrage of fake PNRs and forged flight tickets in exchange for money. These fake tickets were then passed on to unsuspecting tourists. A number of tourists grew suspicious and checked their PNRs online, only to find they were invalid or belonged to others. The family at the airport, however, was among those who discovered the fraud on the day of their travel.

Police allege that the 5.22 crore collected from the tourism agency was not transferred to the airlines but was laundered into more than twenty bank accounts, primarily held in the names of the arrested accused and his wife. This revelation points to a large-scale money laundering operation. Police are continuing their investigation, interrogating the arrested individual to determine the exact number of tourists who were duped by this gang and to track down the remaining members of the racket.