KUANTAN: A woman’s hope of leaving for umrah in December last year was dashed when she was cheated of RM4,000 by a person purportedly from a travel agency in Jerantut promoting a umrah package.
Pahang Commercial Crime Investigation Department head, Supt Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof, said the 37-year-old victim handed the suspect RM4,000 as payment for two people, passports and other relevant documents after filling in a form.
“The victim was told that the trip has been booked for December. She also attended an umrah course at a mosque in Jerantut in October and November with the suspect.
“However, at the end of November, the victim was told that the flight had been cancelled and that she would be flying off on a new date. But when the day to fly came, the trip was cancelled without notice,” said Mohd Wazir in a statement today.
The victim – a contractor – then checked with the agency the suspect claimed to work at and discovered the package was bogus and there was no record of visas or flight tickets for her.
The victim managed to get the suspect to give the passports back on Jan 9 after she told the suspect she had changed her mind about performing the umrah, but the promise of a refund in three weeks was not kept.
The victim made a police report at the Jerantut district police headquarters torday and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction. – Bernama
