Bangalore: Love turned Pune-based pilot Manish Razdan into a fly-by-night operator.
Razdan, who defrauded people of Rs 30 lakh at last count, conned several international air travelers by promising them air tickets at throwaway prices.
Razdan was arrested in Bangalore on June 4. He was reportedly in the city to meet his girlfriend of many years.
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.
"Razdan met the Bangalore girl when he was training in Pune to be a pilot. A few months later, she returned to Bangalore and subsequently agreed to marry Razdan. All she wanted from him was that he earn a comfortable income," said Ashwathnarayana Reddy, inspector, Varthur Police Station.
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," Reddy added.
Razdan, however, was not good at saving what he earned through cheating. "He spent money on gifts for his girlfriend. When his victims demanded their money back, he fled for Bangalore, where he kept to his old ways and cheated some more people," said Reddy. Razdan would allegedly issue cheques to people who were too insistent.
"Fifteen such cheques have bounced so far. Upendra Tripathi, one of Razdan's victims, complained to the police that he was cheated of Rs 3 lakh. He had been promised some tickets to Sydney ticket on a Kingfisher Airlines flight," said Reddy.
Following Razdan's arrest, several air travelers approached Varthur police. "The numbers of complainants keep rising. There could well be over 40 cases that add up to Rs 40 lakh," police sources said.
Varthur police inspector Reddy also added, "We have not found his girlfriend so far. We are investigating if she is involved in the racket too."