Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Economic Offences Wing (EOW) claimed to have busted a major Haj pilgrimage fraud worth over Rs 1 crore, involving over 180 prospective pilgrims, by arresting one person in this connection from Mumbai. The accused, identified as Nabeel Abdul Mubin Shaikh, was nabbed on September 27 and produced before the designated court under OPID Act in Balasore today after being brought to the State on transit remand.  Preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused and his mother are the authorized signatories of the accounts in which the pilgrims’ money was deposited.

Nabeel was arrested after a case was registered basing on the written report of one Mir Khursid of Kazimahala from Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district where he alleged that as many as 189 devotees were duped of Rs 1.2 crore by a travel agency. In his complaint, Khursid accused proprietors of ‘Al-Adam Tour & Travels’ namely Firdos Bi Abdul Mubin Shaikh, her son Nabeel Abdul Mubin Shaikh and daughter Saima Anjum Shaikh, along with Md. Bismillah Shaikh owner of AlIzma Tours & Travels of Vikhroli Kurla, West Mumbai for collecting cash of Rs.45,786/- and Rs.50,786/- from each of the prospective pilgrims -totaling to Rs.1.2 Crores from 189 devotees - during the period from 2019-23, to arrange their
pilgrimage to Saudi Arab on the eve of Umrah. However, neither did the accused take them on pilgrimage nor did they refund the money collected. 

EOW officials, in a release, stated that between 2019-2023, the accused proprietors of Al-Adam Tour & Travel Agency floated advertisements on social media and distributed leaflets containing lucrative packages and their contact details. The advertisements lured Muslim devotees to avail t wo of their tour packages of Rs 45,786 and Rs 50,786 per individual pilgrim to go on Umrah pilgrimage to Arab countries like Mecca-Madina. 

As the the agency had taken the devotees on pilgrimage prior to the fraud in order to earn their trust, they took the bait. The release stated that devotees from Bhadrak, Balasore, Baripada and other parts of Odisha had allegedly deposited money in the given accounts in the advertisements through bank transfers, apart from paying through UPI and cash.

The collection by the owners of ‘Al-Adam Tour & Travels’ continued till first half of 2023 after which the proprietors switched off their mobile phones. A very few investors, who had insisted on the refund of their amounts, were given cheques by the accused proprietors which were subsequently dishonoured by the bank.

Investigation also revealed that the agency had collected huge amounts in a similar fashion from prospective pilgrims of Maharashtra and Delhi apart from Odisha.

"Verification is going on whether any fraud has been committed there by the agency and its proprietor. However, it is learnt that the tour packages cover the catering facilities extended by the Pakistani Nationals for which there was transaction between the Pakistani Nationals and the arrested accused which is still under verification,"EOW officials said.