Haj agency owner, his 2 sons held for cheating pilgrims

The owner of a Bengaluru-based tour agency, his two sons and three others have been arrested for duping over 100 Haj pilgrims of Rs 3 crore and running away with their passports.

Sibghatullah Shareef, who runs Hareem Tours in Jayanagar 4th ‘T’ Block, his two sons Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Rahman, Taushik, Mohammad Maajah and Mohammed Umair were arrested by the Tilaknagar police following complaints from prospective Haj pilgrims. Police have recovered the victims’ passports from them.

Shareef, who has been running the tour agency for the past 15 years, took about Rs 3 lakh from each of the 103 pilgrims by promising them a 40-day tour of the Muslim holy sites. He offered aggressive discounts and his staff did door-to-door canvassing in Jayanagar and the surrounding areas. People flocked to his office to make the bookings.

Their hopes were shattered when the tour agency’s office was closed on July 31 and remained so for three days. Shareef’s mobile phone was switched off, too. The prospective pilgrims make enquiries but in vain. Finding no other option, they went to the jurisdictional police station. They also approached the police commissioner who assigned the investigation to DCP (Southeast) Boralingaiah.

A senior police officer said efforts were underway to recover the victims’ money.