Gorakhpur Youths Book Lake Queen Cruise Tickets Worth Rs 12,000 For Rs 4, Arrested For 'Online Scam'

A group of four friends scammed Gorakhpur's Lake Queen Cruise digitally by booking tickets worth Rs 12,000 at just Rs 4.

Two accused Rajan Sahni and Shivam Nishad have been arrested in the matter.

Source : Pexels/Kindel Media

The celebrations of New Year are over, but it seems the stories around it aren't. A recent scam has now surfaced, in which four friends allegedly duped the owners of Lake Queen Cruise at Ramgarh Lake in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The accused booked tickets on the cruise through an online platform by paying just Re 1 per booking, whereas the actual price for four tickets was Rs 12,000. Gorakhpur police have arrested two individuals so far in the matter.

The matter surfaced when Rajkumar Rai, the cruise owner and a resident of Ram Janki Nagar lodged a complaint on Thursday.

How Did The Online Scam Happen?

Rai explained that the Lake Queen Cruise provides both online and offline booking options for customers' convenience. The person booking the tickets on the cruise for the New Year's Eve festivities was identified as Rajan Kumar. Authorities are now focused on tracking down the culprits and implementing measures to strengthen the cruise's booking system to avoid similar incidents in the future.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times, Circle officer, Cantonment, Yogendra Singh, revealed that the suspects had reserved a package for a prime-time New Year’s Eve celebration event, scheduled from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. On special occasions like this, the booking cost is Rs 3,000 per person, compared to the regular rate of Rs 1,000 per person for two hours on other days, the Hindustan Times reported.

The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gorakhpur, Gaurav Grover, said that a case has been registered based on a complaint by the cruise owners under Sections 319(2), 318(4), 336 (3), 338, and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and 43/66D IT Act.

Gorakhpur SSP Gaurav Grover said that two of the suspects — Rajan Sahni and Shivam Nishad — have been arrested in the matter. A laptop, two cellphones, and four tickets were seized from the accused.