Prime accused in online air ticket booking scam held

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Prime accused in online air ticket booking scam held Express News Service
Mumbai, April 6: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Thursday arrested Sameer Qasim Shaikh (22), the prime accused in an online ticket booking scam that caused Kingfisher Airlines a loss of Rs 13.47 crores.
A case had been lodged with the EOW by the airline on December 21 last year. And 16 persons have been arrested in the case so far.
“We have arrested Sameer Shaikh, a resident of Mira Road, who is a prime accused, and a leader of one of the three gangs involved in the online ticket booking scam case. He is accused of stealing credit card details of unsuspecting persons through people working in malls and hotels, and using the information to book 15,255 Kingfisher Airlines tickets online. He then sold the tickets at a lower rate in exchange for cash,” confirmed Additional Commissioner of Police, EOW, Sadanand Date.
According to the police, Sameer was arrested on Thursday afternoon, when he was attempting to meet his wife Firdaus and their two-year-old son — Firdaus was being produced at Esplanade Court for an extension of judicial custody.
On February 22, Sameer managed to give Crime Branch officers the slip at Chicalim in Goa. However, his wife was arrested along with his two accomplices Mehboob Shaikh and Sameer Maktum Shaik, after the car they were fleeing in collided with a truck.
Sameer was produced at the Esplanade Court on Friday morning, where he was remanded to police custody till April 19.
© 2007: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.