Police said they will apprehend the accused, Nrupathy Manay, who claims he intends to pay back the victims.
All 64 of them had retired and were looking forward to their first foreign trip. The senior citizens from Dwarka’s various housing societies had collected about Rs 18 lakh for a trip to Dubai, and preparations were on in full swing.
But the trip never materialised, as a Mumbai-based tour operator who had promised to take them there called off the plan, saying that the money was not enough, police said. Now, they have the tough task of trying to recover the cash.
Confirming the incident, DCP (Dwarka) Shibesh Singh said, “A case has been registered at Dwarka (South) police station. We have made contact with the tour operator.” Police said they will apprehend the accused, Nrupathy Manay, who claims he intends to pay back the victims. He will be brought to Delhi in the next two days, police said.
The victims have said that they will approach Special CP (Crime Branch) R P Upadhyaya, and request a thorough probe.
The senior citizens are part of the Senior Citizen Association, a local body in Dwarka. The president of the association, Balbir Singh Yadav, said they were looking to go on a foreign trip when they saw an advertisement in a national daily about a Dubai package being offered by the accused in December last year.
Yadav and the rest of the association did not doubt the claims, and were drawn in by the relatively low cost of the tour. “He said he would charge Rs 37,800 per person for a five-night, six-day trip,” Balbir said. A day before the trip, the accused said it had been cancelled. The accused called up members every day promising to pay back the money, but never delivered on it, police said.