Latest News | Fake Flight Ticket Booking Racket Busted, Two Held

New Delhi, Apr 10 (PTI) Two men were arrested for allegedly duping people by offering fake airline tickets at throwaway prices, Delhi Police said on Thursday.

With their arrest, police claimed to have busted a gang selling fake airline tickets using different social media platforms.

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The accused, identified as Salman Sayeed Siddiqui (50) and Rohit Rajaram Ghanekar (29), are said to be part of a larger racket, police said.

According to police, the operation came to light following a complaint lodged by Rajeev Chopra, a resident of Bhagat Singh Park. Chopra was tricked into transferring Rs 47,681 after responding to a social media advertisement for a cheap Delhi-to-Toronto flight.

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"After contacting the number provided in the advertisement, which turned out to be a virtual number, he was persuaded to share personal and payment details. The fraudsters booked dummy tickets and vanished once the money was received," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Nidhin Valsan in a statement said.

Police later registered an FIR and a team was formed to trace the accused.

Investigations revealed that the accused used virtual number to make calls, fake social media pages mimicking genuine travel agencies and phishing techniques to ensnare unsuspecting customers, said the DCP.

He said that the accused would create fake tickets of airline websites to gain trust before asking for payment. "Once the funds were transferred, they would deactivate communication channels," he said.

The mastermind of the gang, Salman Sayeed Siddiqui, was earlier arrested by Sahar Police in Mumbai in 2023 for a similar international ticket scam.

He had previously worked with reputed travel agencies in Mumbai. He later opened his own travel firm in Delhi after completing an International Air Transport Association (IATA) course and gaining deeper knowledge of air ticketing systems, police said.

According to police, Salman shifted base to Delhi to avoid police surveillance after his earlier arrest. His associate, Rohit Rajaram Ghanekar, hailing from Raigarh in Maharashtra, was allegedly responsible for sourcing fake SIM cards and mule bank accounts to route the stolen money.

Rohit, who moved to Mumbai in 2012 due to financial hardship, got involved in cybercrime by helping criminals obtain fake accounts and mobile connections.

"These fraudsters operated with a high level of anonymity. They used virtual numbers to avoid detection, opened accounts under false identities and used multiple digital platforms to coordinate their scams," he said.

The police team conducted raids at Charni Road and Virar East in Mumbai and Lajpat Nagar in Delhi. The accused were arrested from Mumbai and Delhi.

Police said that they have recovered 12 mobile phones, three laptops loaded with digital evidence, 22 debit and credit cards, six chequebooks, passbooks, three SIM cards, four WiFi routers, a WiFi pod, a tablet, and a stamp used for creating fake documents.

"Further investigation is underway to identify more victims and uncover the full extent of the fraud network," said the DCP.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)