Fake Travel Agent Tarun Rastogi Arrested in Delhi for Rs 8.8 Lakh Air Ticket Scam

Cyber Police bust a repeat offender who posed as a Jetways Travels agent and duped clients by cancelling tickets after pocketing payments.

New Delhi, June 5:
The Cyber Police Station of South District, Delhi Police, has arrested a 38-year-old cyber fraudster, Tarun Rastogi, for allegedly duping individuals by posing as a legitimate travel agent and collecting over Rs 8.8 lakh under the guise of booking air tickets. The arrest comes after a detailed probe into a fraud complaint registered on May 31, under Sections 316 and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to DCP South District, Ankit Chauhan, the complainant reported that on April 26, he was contacted by Rastogi, who claimed to represent Jetways Travels Pvt Ltd. and offered to collaborate in a business arrangement for booking flight tickets. Initially, Rastogi created a convincing impression — successfully issuing four air tickets along with authentic-looking receipts sent via the company’s official email domain.

However, the deception began to unfold between April 29 and May 7, when the complainant transferred Rs 8,82,158 for seven client bookings. These tickets were later cancelled without notice, and despite repeated attempts to follow up, the tickets were neither reissued nor the funds refunded.

Realising the seriousness of the fraud, a cyber investigation team traced financial transactions, bank account details, and online activity, eventually identifying Tarun Rastogi as the prime suspect. His location was pinpointed, and he was arrested following a coordinated raid.

During interrogation, Rastogi confessed to orchestrating the scam. He admitted that he had worked as a ticketing clerk at Jetways Travels Pvt Ltd. in Barakhamba Road, Delhi, and initially issued genuine tickets to gain the trust of clients. Subsequently, he began diverting booking payments to his personal bank account while issuing tickets that he later had cancelled. When clients began demanding refunds, he dodged communication and eventually stopped responding altogether.

The police recovered key evidence, including a mobile phone, laptop, debit card, bank passbook, and three cheque books used in executing the fraud.

Further probe revealed Rastogi to be a commerce graduate and a repeat offender, already involved in six previous criminal cases registered across various Delhi police stations — including Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place, Paharganj, and Subhash Place. The charges against him span cheating, criminal breach of trust, and financial misappropriation, DCP Chauhan confirmed.

The cybercrime unit is now working to identify additional victims and financial linkages that could be part of a broader pattern of fraud committed by Rastogi.