Travel agent arrested for cheating engineering students

PUNE: A tours and travel operator was arrested on Friday for allegedly cheating a group of 35 students of a college on Paud Road to the tune of Rs17.22 lakh by promising them flight tickets to England in January.

One of the students (22,) a resident of Vadgaon Budruk, filed a complaint against the tours and travel operator, Pushkaraj Yashwant Bate

(33), of Camp.

The FIR stated that Bate ran the tours and travel agency at Tukaram Paduka Chowk, off Fergusson College Road.

Sub-inspector S M Chavan of the Shivajinagar police said the students were pursuing their mechanical engineering degree from the college. The team of 35 students made a racing car and their project was selected for an international competition in England in January.

Chavan said the college promised to pay for the lodging and boarding of the students and they were supposed to pay the airfare.

“The students then conducted an online search and contacted Bate for their tour to England. The travel operator promised them visa and flight tickets. The students paid Rs17.22 lakh to him. “He gave them the visas but did not provide the flight tickets,” he said.

“The students then booked the flight tickets themselves and flew to England to participate in the international competition. After returning to Pune, they approached Bate demanding their money back. He promised to return them the money,” Chavan said.

“When he failed to return the sum, the students decided to lodge a complaint with the police,” he said.