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The Bengaluru police Monday announced the arrest of a 35-year-old man who allegedly cheated over 100 senior citizens of a collective sum of Rs 70 lakh by promising to take them to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh for Mahakumbh Mela. According to the police, he has lost the money he collected from the victims through online betting.
The accused, Raghavendra Rao, worked as a reporter for a regional news channel and recently started a tourism business. He allegedly put up Facebook posts offering a seven-day trip covering Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and other places.
The police said he initially organised a Mahakumbh trip for a group of people and took many photos during the journey. He started sharing these pictures on Facebook daily, and several senior citizens sent him money trusting him, they said.
A police officer said 21 complaints have been filed against Rao in Govindarajanagar alone. “He used to charge Rs 49,000 for a seven-day trip. He would book air tickets, send them to the customers, and cancel them. For some customers, he even cancelled their return tickets. After that, he would cut off communication by turning off his mobile phone,” said the officer.
“Upon examining his mobile phone, we discovered that he had installed three betting applications. He lost the funds he had collected from senior citizens. His mother, who is 68 years old, was shocked to learn that he had cheated these citizens,” said the officer, adding that the police are probing more details.
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