Surat: A 42-year-old man has filed a complaint with Udhna police alleging that a tour operator duped him of Rs 2.25 lakh and abandoned him at the China border during a Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, citing visa issues.The complainant, Ashish Sadakwala, who works in a private company, said he planned to undertake the pilgrimage after being referred to tour operator Samir Deshmukh by his friend Vivek Chaudhary. Deshmukh allegedly informed him about a group tour of 61 pilgrims scheduled for Aug2025 and quoted Rs 2.25 lakh per person.Sadakwala initially paid Rs 25,000 as advance and later transferred the remaining Rs 2 lakh in July. In Feb, Deshmukh and his associate Ashwin Negi visited Surat, collected necessary documents and assured him that the visa process was underway.On Aug 2, Sadakwala flew to Delhi and later travelled to Kathmandu along with other pilgrims. After staying there for three days, the group was taken to the China border, where they halted for a night.The next day, Negi allegedly informed that visas of four pilgrims, including Sadakwala, had been cancelled and they would not be allowed to proceed. When questioned, no clear reason was given. Negi reportedly assured them that the money would be refunded within 15 days but left with the remaining group.Sadakwala and the three others were forced to make their own arrangements to return home. Despite repeated attempts, the accused allegedly failed to refund the amount.
