Kochi: After the scams by job agencies and money lending agents in Kochi, it is now the turn of tour operators to cheat the public by promising family trips to foreign countries.
It was only couple of weeks ago that a senior manager of a public sector bank’s Mangalore branch lodged a complaint against one Aztech Holidays for cheating him of Rs 4.68 lakh by promising a tour to Russia, but now the Ernakulam South Police has also registered a case against another tour operator named Leisure Kerala.
The cops are hunting for the owner of the tour operator who allegedly cheated several people by promising tour packages to foreign countries and various locations in India. However the owner’s name has been withheld so that there would be no impediments to a smooth probe.
“We have received complaints against the operators named Leisure Kerala. We are searching for its owner who is believed to be absconding now. He will be arrested within 10 days,” said Gopakumar, the sub inspector of Ernakulam south police.
There was a huge demand for foreign trips during the Christmas vacation with Kochi being a centre for operators offering foreign tours. People also plan in advance for foreign trips during the summer in order to collect the visa early.
This has led to a huge rush onto tour operators which in turn resulted in the rise of several new operators in the city. However it is learnt that many people are handing over money to the operators without checking their background details and history.
In the other case, the bank manager had handed over the amount in four different installments after the tour operator gained his confidence. The two parties had also conducted several conversations over email and telephone, but the operator absconded by closing down his office at BCG Tower at Vyttila after collecting the full amount.
