The Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested Kannada starlet Maria Susairaj, 35, for an alleged fraud of Rs. 2.11 crore, based mostly on the grievance of a Vadodara based mostly journey company La-Raib Tours. Susairaj, who was convicted for “destroying evidence” within the 2008 homicide case of TV producer Neeraj Grover in Mumbai, had promised the Vadodara tour company air tickets for 1200 Haj pilgrims, via her agency in Mumbai, Parapan Tours and Travels, value Rs 2.11 crores. However, she “fled” after the company paid the cash, the grievance states.
Susairaj was proven arrested in Ahmedabad at 1.30 am on Thursday after cops obtained a tip off that she was visiting the house of her advocate Rajkumar Chaumal in Naroda in Ahmedabad. According to the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, Susairaj was assembly her advocate to plan an escape from the air ticket rip-off, as a grievance had been filed towards her by the Vadodara based mostly La-Raib Tour company in June this 12 months.
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RN Patel, Police Inspector of DCB, Vadodara stated, “The fraud occurred in February when Susairaj was approaching Haj tour operators, offering a discount on bulk bookings. She approached the La-Raib Tour agency in Panigate in Vadodara, through her partnership form Parapan Tours and Travels, located in Powai in Mumbai and enticed them with an offer of discount up to Rs 4000 per ticket.” He stated that she had been handed over to the Vadodara crime department for additional investigation.
The proprietor, Ashfaq Pasaliya, had booked 1200 tickets with Susairaj’s agency, priced at Rs 17,500 every. However, on the day of the departure, the group realized that their tickets had been cancelled. According to the police, Parapan group handed over a refund of Rs 80 lakhs towards cancellation, however the cheque returned, dishonored. The homeowners of La-Raib Tours filed a case towards Parapan for fraud. While the Vadodara Crime Branch arrested one of many companions, Suraj Jaiswal, three others together with Susairaj, Paromita Chakravarty and Hendricks Fernandez had been declared absconders.
Police Inspector VJ Rathod, DCB Ahmedabad, who interrogated Susairaj stated, “She has told us that for the last two years, she was residing with her co-accused Paromita, who is still absconding. The two, together, set up a firm that ran on a modus operandi of booking bulk air tickets offering discounts and then cancelling the tickets. They would siphon off the refund without returning the amount to the actual customer or agents booking tickets with them. Paromita is the main accused in the case. We believe their scam could run into several crores in other cities as well.”
Pasaliya of the La-Raib Tours, stated that the grievance was filed after Susairaj and her company stopped responding to calls. “The customers looking forward to travel to Haj this year, had paid the entire advance for tickets and we had partnered with Susairaj’s firm in Mumbai that promised to book confirmed air tickets on our behalf. However, the moment we transferred the money to the firm, we were told the tickets would be confirmed but did not hear from her again. On the day of the scheduled travel, the company conveyed that the tickets had been cancelled. After much reluctance, they handed over a refund cheque of Rs 80 lakhs, but it bounced. We waited for a few days and filed the complaint,” Pasaliya stated.
Susairaj and her companions have been charged for fraud underneath the IPC. In 2011, Susairaj was acquitted from the cost of the 2008 homicide of Neeraj Grover, whereas her fiance and naval officer Emile Jerome Matthew was convicted. Susairaj was convicted for 3 years on the cost of destruction of proof. However, she was launched from jail a day after the court docket verdict, as she had spent the corresponding time in jail as an under-trial.
