The woman registered an FIR at the Andheri police station on November 2. (File photo)A 24-year-old woman who tried to book a trip to Dubai through a fraudulent travel website ended up communicating with a cyber-fraudster who sent her forged flight tickets and visa and hotel booking documents and made her transfer Rs 4.08 lakh, the police said.
The woman registered an FIR at the Andheri police station on November 2.
The complainant told the police that she works for a private company and lives with her parents. She had decided to go on a trip to Dubai and was searching for travel websites on Google. On October 7, she landed on a website of a travel company allegedly based in Goa. She called the mobile number given on the website and a cyber fraudster picked up the phone and identified himself as “Manoj Tiwari”.
He allegedly offered her a tour package for Rs 40,000 for four nights and five days in Dubai and said the amount would be Rs 2.80 lakh for seven people. This package would be inclusive of flight tickets, visa and hotel stay, she was told, the FIR says.
The complainant ended up paying Rs 2.80 lakh. To win her trust, the fraudster allegedly sent her forged flight tickets and visa and hotel documents. The fraudster then said she will have to pay more money for travelling in Dubai, food and getting foreign exchange, the complaint said. The woman ended up paying a total of Rs 4.08 lakh.
On October 27, after making the last payment, she asked the man to send foreign exchange-related documents which he said he would send in a few hours. On October 28, he switched off his phone and the woman realised she had been cheated. She called up the airline company and was told no booking was done in her name. She then wrote an email to the hotel based in Dubai and was told that no such booking was done. The woman then approached the Andheri police.