Thane woman cheated of ₹54,000 in fake Kedarnath helicopter booking scam

A 34-year-old woman from Thane in Maharashtra was allegedly cheated of ₹54,000 in an online helicopter booking scam while attempting to arrange a pilgrimage trip to Kedarnath and Badrinath , police said on Thursday.

According to officials, the woman had been searching online for Kedarnath tour services when she received a message on Instagram offering helicopter rides to the shrines . The message contained a contact number claiming to provide helicopter bookings for the Char Dham pilgrimage.

When she contacted the number, the person posing as a travel representative told her that seats were available and asked her to pay 50 per cent of the total amount as advance to confirm the booking. Trusting the offer, she transferred ₹54,000 to a Bank of Baroda account in the name of “Himalaya Tour”, reportedly based in Dehradun .

However, after receiving the money, the accused neither confirmed the helicopter booking nor refunded the payment , and subsequently stopped responding to her messages and calls. Realising she had been duped, the woman approached the police and lodged a complaint.

Based on her complaint, police have registered a case of online fraud and launched an investigation to trace the accused and track the bank account used in the transaction.

Officials said such scams have become increasingly common ahead of the Char Dham Yatra , when thousands of devotees seek helicopter services to reach Kedarnath quickly. Fraudsters often use fake social media pages, websites and messaging apps to lure pilgrims with promises of quick or guaranteed bookings.

Authorities have urged devotees to book helicopter services only through official and verified portals , warning that payments made to unknown agents or accounts shared on social media often lead to fraud.