Mumbai: Haj Umarah tour operator held for Rs 4 crore scam

MUMBAI: A Haj Umarah tour operator was arrested by the D B Marg police for cheating more than 35 Haj pilgrimage aspirants of Rs 4 crore in total. Noor Ibrahim Dawa (56), was also named in similar cases in Nagpada and Surat. Police issued a lookout circular against him, and he was detained by immigration authorities after he landed from Dubai at Kolkata.
Police are still taking statements from all the victims, whose number may go into hundreds.The amount Dawa duped, from citizens of Mumbai and Surat, is estimated to be more than Rs 10 crore in total, said the police.
While reports state that over 500 people were duped, not all of them have approached the police. The complainant, retired BMC employee Tarique Ansari (60), deposited Rs 4.5 lakh for the pilgrimage. When he visited Dawa's office, Alfa Enterprises in Nagpada, he did not get a satisfactory response. From July 8, the office was shut.
Dawa promised pilgrims from across the country visas and passports. They found the office locked and went to the police. Sources said Dawa enticed Haj pilgrims with lower priced offers. Tour operators charge Rs 3 lakh for Haj on an average.
Investigating officer Pandurang Sanas said Dawa's bank account had been frozen. Police recovered victims' passports from his office. "Dawa said he had been sending Haj aspirants to Mecca for Rs 2 lakh. He would manage the expense with money he received from the next set of clients. He said he suffered huge losses later, got scared and fled to Dubai," said an officer.