Gopalapuram police on Monday booked a case of cheating against a tour operator who failed to pay the visa and hotel fees for pilgrims going to Jerusalem, leaving them stranded halfway. The case has been booked against Francis Xavier, owner of Assets Tours and Travels of Secunderabad, who is not traceable.

A group of 64 pilgrims from Secunderabad, Vijayawada, Nellore, Bengaluru, Kazipet, Kurnool and Vishakapatnam are stranded in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, from May 29 as the hotel owner confiscated their passports and threw them on the road for not paying the bill. The pilgrims claim that the tour operator had taken money from them ahead of the trip, but did not pay the visa fee and hotel bills. The group was on its way to Jerusalem in Israel, but is now stranded in Egypt.

On the insistence of the relatives of the pilgrims back home, Mr Xavier booked the group’s return tickets from Alexandria in Egypt to Sharjah and then on to Delhi. The pilgrims have started from Alex-andria and are expected to reach Delhi by 4 am on Tuesday morning. They will take the Dakshin Express train in the evening and reach the city on Wednesday. Mr Marcel Earl, a BPO employee and resident of Old Bowenpally said, “My mother Aeuriel and father Melvin Earl are stranded in Cairo. Each paid Rs 65,000 for an eight-day holy trip covering Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and a complimentary two-day stay in Dubai. This covered travel, accommodation, food and sight-seeing.”

The group that was supposed to leave on May 13 left on May 28. The tour operator, Francis Xavier, dropped out of the trip at the last moment. Police has also named one Prashanth Chowdry, a native of Vijayawada, and one Lourdu Xavier.

“When they sent us an e-mail on the situation, we immediately took Francis Xavier to Chilkalaguda police station to file a complaint. Police diverted us to Gopalapuram PS. Francis gave to us in writing that he would make arrangements for visas by May 31,” Mr Marcel Earl said. Things got so bad that the tour group began paying for their own food and accommodation. “He made false promises that he had transferred funds, but they have received no money from him to date. The group has spent US $7,000 from their own pockets,” Mr Earl said.

Worse was to come. When the relatives got hold of Mr Xavier on June 3, he gave them cheques that he said they could encash and transfer to their relatives in Cairo. But when the cheques were presented on June 4, they bounced, Mr Earl said. Cyril Franswah, the relative of another pilgrim said, “Our people find it difficult even to buy food as they do not have money. They have complained to the Indian Embassy. The travel team is behaving rudely with our men and demanding money.”
North Zone DCP Mr Srikanth said that the police has launched a hunt for Francis Xavier.

Minister for secondary education K. Parth-asarathy expressed concern at the plight of the pilgrims and asked officials to take action against the culprit. NRI cell special secretary Mr N.V. Ramana Reddy said, “We are making efforts to bring them back to the country. Stern action will be taken against the operator. We have lodged a complaint against him with the CID also.”