Conman held for allegedly cheating businessman of Rs 9 lakh

A conman who allegedly impersonated an air ticket booking agent to pocket Rs nine lakh after first booking 24 tickets to Canada for a businessman and cancelling them later without his knowledge, has been arrested for cheating, the police said here today.
The accused, Himanshu Pitroda (35), was trapped at Bangalore and arrested yesterday, a crime branch officer said, adding that three other similar complaints were received against him.
According to the police, a businessman who resides in Colaba, planned to holiday in Canada in April with his 23 family members and relatives.
In February, he came across Pitroda, who claimed that he would book all 24 tickets for April 14, the officer said, adding that, "the accused actually booked tickets for the family. He showed all original tickets, after which the family paid him Rs nine lakh".

However, when the family went to the international airport on Monday, they were taken aback to discover that their tickets were cancelled.
The victim immediately approached the police, which registered an FIR at Mahim police station and began a manhunt. The accused was tracked down to Bangalore, the police said.