12 passengers from Himachal Pradesh were duped in the name of Kedarnath helicopter ticket booking, accused absconding
Summary
Passengers who fell victim to a ticket booking fraud involving Kedarnath Heli Service found themselves unable to reach the accused as their calls went unanswered. Frustrated and deceived, the affected individuals approached the Guptkashi police station to report the incident. They shared their ordeal, hoping for a resolution to the fraudulent activity they had encountered.
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In an unfortunate incident, a deceitful individual managed to defraud 12 passengers from Himachal Pradesh who were planning to embark on the Kedarnath Yatra. The fraudster sold them counterfeit helicopter tickets amounting to Rs 92,880, which were later discovered to be fake during a thorough investigation. The victims promptly filed a complaint, leading the police to register a case against the perpetrator and initiate an investigation into the matter.
Swaroop Kishan Sood, the son of Varun Sood from Himachal Pradesh, arrived in Guptkashi on May 30 with his group to visit Kedarnath. Once there, he decided to book helicopter tickets online for their journey to Kedarnath on the following Thursday. During his search, he came across a mobile number that he believed to be a legitimate contact for ticket booking.
Upon contacting the provided mobile number, the individual who answered the call claimed to be an agent of Pawan Hans Heli Company. Assuring the passengers that tickets were available for their desired travel dates, Varun, along with his companions, engaged in a conversation regarding the purchase of 12 helicopter tickets from this person.
After a brief negotiation, the person on the other end agreed to proceed with the ticket booking. In order to secure the 12 tickets, the passengers transferred a total of Rs 92,880 to the provided bank account through an online payment method. Shortly thereafter, the promised 12 tickets were sent to Varun’s WhatsApp, seemingly confirming the successful transaction.
Armed with the printed tickets, Varun and his fellow passengers arrived at the Pawan Hans ticket counter, only to discover that all the tickets they had received were counterfeit. Their attempts to reach out to the fraudster through mobile calls proved futile as none of their calls were answered. Frustrated and victimized, the aggrieved passengers took their case to the Guptkashi police station, where they shared their harrowing experience and provided a detailed account of the incident.
Following the registration of the case, the police have initiated an investigation into the matter. As part of the investigation, the mobile number used in the fraudulent activity has been placed under surveillance. Superintendent of Police, Dr. Visakha Ashok Bhadane, has emphasized the importance of booking tickets only from websites authorized by the state government, cautioning against falling prey to such scams. This incident marks the second case of cheating passengers in the guise of helicopter ticket sales, with one of the accused already being apprehended by the police in a previous instance.
