Mumbai: Manish Razdan, who used to dupe people by posing as a pilot with Kingfisher Airlines offering international passenger tickets at throwaway prices, is on the wish list of a number of people from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh and Jaipur.
Siddharth Gupta, owner of the Delhi-based travel agency wowindya, went almost bankrupt after Razdan duped him of Rs three lakh in April 2009. "Manish was looking for a hotel in Delhi but he was not getting the right deal. I offered him the cheapest accommodation and that was how we came in touch. Manish used to book tickets and pay readily for them. In the meantime, he told me that he also runs an agency that books chartered flights," Gupta told MiD DAY.
"After winning my confidence, he booked tickets worth Rs three lakh and asked for credit. I accepted a cheque which bounced," Gupta added.
Chandigarh-based Monsoon travels had a similar story to share.
"Manish was staying in a luxury hotel where he called one of my executives and booked some air tickets. He paid for them in cash and then became our regular customer. Then once he paid a cheque for tickets worth Rs 3.08 lakh and when his cheque bounced, he convinced me that he needs some more tickets to be booked to be able to pay my money. But, he fled. I registered an FIR in the Sector 34 police station," Divya Minhas, owner of Monsoon travels, told MiD DAY over phone from Chandigarh.
But for a family in Mumbai, it is about something more than money. "Manish became a part of our family by assuring our son a job with his travel firm," the family said, wishing not to be identified.
"He told us that he runs a travel agency in Pune. My younger son used to book tickets with him and during a conversation asked him to see if he has a job to offer for his elder brother. Manish agreed and recruited my son. On one of his tours to Jaipur, he took my son along and stayed in a posh hotel. After staying for two days, he fled leaving my son with a bill of more than Rs two lakh," said the mother of the boy who was duped by Razdan.
Razdan, was arrested in Bangalore on June 4. He was reportedly in the city to meet his girlfriend of many years. He had duped Chirag Gaglani, who runs a travel agency Seek and Hide in Bangalore, to the tune of Rs 1,60,000.
Police sources revealed that Razdan had been unable to secure a job after he completed his pilot's training at a Pune-based aviation centre last year. Disappointed, he borrowed some money from his acquaintances in Pune and started a travel agency.
Reportedly, he hardly attended office, and instead, made several trips to Bangalore to meet his girlfriend who was unwilling to marry him unless he had a stable source of income. To ensure his girlfriend did not change her mind, Razdan took to cheating people. Razdan told his acquaintances in Pune that he was a pilot with Kingfisher Airlines. To others, he said he was the authorised agent of Air France. People trusted him with their money, and he cheated them.
There could well be over 40 cases that add up to Rs 40 lakh, Bangalore police said. "We have not found his girlfriend so far. We are investigating if she is involved in the racket too," they added.