Fake agency, fake tickets

The syndicate would target devotees willing to perform Hajj and trap them by selling fake tickets. Mahbub used to get clients from promotional posts through his fake agency's Facebook page, and then communicated with them via social media and collected their details to sell them tickets.

They used to sell plane tickets at first through their fake travel agency. 

The syndicate then used to return the tickets, after which, they disappeared embezzling the money. On the day of the flights, passengers would reach the airport, only to find their bookings cancelled.

They would target devotees willing to perform Hajj and trap them by selling fake tickets.

Police's Detective Branch (DB) revealed the activities of the syndicate yesterday following the arrest of a member.

The arrestee was identified as Mahbubur Rashid (51).

Police arrested him from the capital's Kalabagan area on Wednesday and recovered 81 fake plane tickets, two cell phones, two computers, a jeep, 12 cheque books of different banks and an ATM card.

AKM Hafiz Akter, DB additional commissioner, disclosed the information while addressing a briefing at Minto Road in Dhaka.

On March 26, Saidur Rahman, a victim of the syndicate, met Mahbub, who identified himself as the CEO of AQM trade and Travel Consultancy.

Saidur bought five tickets from Mahbub for Muscat, Riyadh and Toronto, spending Tk 5.10 lakh, said Hafiz.

On March 28, the Riyadh-bound passenger went to the airport and found his ticket already cancelled. The agency also took the refunds for cancelling the ticket.

Saidur communicated with Mahbub, who issued him two new tickets that were found cancelled on the day of the flight again.

Detectives said Mahbub used to get clients from promotional posts through his fake agency's Facebook page, and then communicated with them via social media and collected their details to sell them tickets.

Mahbub has six cases against him with Bhatara, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Kalabagan and New Market police stations, along with three other old cases.

Officials said they are now looking for his close associate Jahangir, who used to get him clients.

They also mentioned that Mahbub used to change his office locations whenever any victim filed complaints against him. In 2015, two trafficking cases were filed against him with Mohammadpur and Dhanmondi police stations after he embezzled money by promising some individuals of sending them to Canada under his old agency name "Planet Oversee".

In the last seven years, he took different offices in Lalmatia, Karwan Bazar, Elephant Road and Bashundhara, where he set up his last office.