An FIR has been lodged against a global online travel firm on a complaint by the BSF that alleged it was cheating visitors by selling them 'VIP passes' for the popular retreat ceremony at Punjab's border front of Attari-Wagah, officials said on Sunday.
The border force, in its criminal complaint filed early this month with the Punjab Police, said that the "multinational scam"-like act has "tarnished" its image as the daily flag-lowering martial ceremony can be witnessed for free and BSF personnel go the extra mile to ensure that people enjoy all aspects of it without shelling out a penny.
The complaint, that has been converted into an FIR by the police, names the Expedia group, a global online travel agency, its sister concerns and others of perpetrating the alleged con that was first detected on August 31 at Attari in Punjab's border district of Amritsar.
Expedia.com did not respond to PTI's email queries on the subject.
Official sources told the news agency that the incident came to light when a woman from Delhi and three others approached a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan on August 31 stating she has four VIP passes, worth Rs 1,500 each, for attending the event.
The jawan smelled a rat and immediately alerted his commanders who began a discreet inquiry into the issue, they said.
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"Expedia group company which is a global travel technology is using its subsidiary company like expedia.com, cheaptickets.com and taxibazar to lure travellers coming to joint check post Attari and illegally charge money from them, providing unauthorised VIP passes or vouchers, " the BSF said in its complaint.
It is assessed that this is a multinational scam being run by various online companies, it said in the complaint.
It was also found that these websites offer a package of USD 41 (about Rs 2,900) per person that includes taxi fare from Amritsar to Attari, a VIP pass for seating for the retreat event and drinks, they said.
With the practice coming to light, BSF's Punjab frontier had issued a public statement through its Twitter handle on September 2 stating, "#BSF or any other agency doesn't charge any entry fee from visitors for Retreat Ceremony Parade at #JCPAttari, #Amritsar."
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