Absconding travel agent held for duping Rs 18 lakh through international flight ticket booking

New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) A travel agent absconding for over two years in a fraud case was apprehended from Kasol in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi Police said on Tuesday.

Sagar Vashisht (32) was wanted in a 2023 case for allegedly duping a man of Rs 18 lakh, which he had taken to book international flight tickets, police said in a statement.

According to officials, Vashisht was arrested on May 18 from a hostel in Kasol. He had been evading arrest by frequently changing locations across Goa, Nasik, Dehradun, Varanasi, and some places in Himachal Pradesh.

The case dates back to February 2023 when a complaint was filed by Nilesh Mitra against Vashisht.

According to the complaint, Vashisht allegedly promised to book refundable flight tickets to Canada worth Rs 18 lakh. After several cancellations and false assurances, only Rs 75,000 was refunded.

Further investigation revealed that the travel agent had used fake email IDs and unauthorised communication channels for the bookings, police said.

Though Vashisht was initially granted a conditional bail, he stopped appearing before the Dwarka Court, following which he was declared a proclaimed offender on January 13, it said..

Vashisht, a resident of Rajender Nagar, holds a degree from IP University and previously worked as a salesman in a bank.

He later started a travel agency in Ghaziabad and operated it from multiple states. During interrogation, he admitted to running a ticket-booking scam and intentionally avoiding court proceedings, the police statement read.

Police also confirmed that the accused has a prior criminal history. In 2013, he was booked in a molestation case registered at Anand Vihar police station. PTI BM BM SKY SKY