Surat: Six traders from the city were allegedly duped of around Rs 5.5 lakh by a travel agent who promised to arrange a business trip to China and Hong Kong, including a visit to the Canton Fair, police said.On the basis of a complaint from Raghwendrasinh Puwar (30), an FIR was registered at Umra police station on Monday, police said.Police said the complainant, a resident of Piplod, runs an air-conditioning business and frequently travels to China and Hong Kong for business purposes.According to the complaint, Puwar came across an advertisement on Instagram in 2024 and contacted the accused, Abhishek Thakkar, to enquire about travel packages. Puwar initially booked a Daman tour through Thakkar and was satisfied with the services. He later approached him for a larger international trip.Puwar planned a China-Hong Kong business trip, along with a visit to the Canton Fair, with his friends Utkarsh Goyal, Aditya Verma, Dhaval Savaj, Yashpal Malik and Himanshu Purohit. They together paid a total of Rs 7.75 lakh to Thakkar for the proposed tour.After receiving the payment, Thakkar sent the group hotel vouchers. However, when the travellers contacted the hotels to verify the bookings, they were shocked to learn that no reservations had been made in their names.When Puwar questioned Thakkar about the discrepancies, the accused failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. The group then decided to cancel the tour package and demanded a refund.According to the complaint, Thakkar returned only Rs 2.25 lakh and failed to repay the remaining Rs 5.50 lakh.Left with no options, Puwar and his five friends approached the Umra police and filed a complaint alleging cheating.
