Hajj pilgrims conned out of £34k
A fraudster who advertised on television, conned pilgrims out of thousands of pounds for non-existent Hajj trips, a court heard.
A jury at Bolton Crown Court was told how Mudassair Shaheen set up Karwan al Madina Travel in 2013 and placed adverts for flight packages to Mecca on the Sky broadcast Ummah Channel.
Several people took up the offer, including a travel agent who wanted to make bookings on behalf of his clients, ringing the advert’s telephone number and placing deposits ranging from £1,100 to £10,000 in 38-year-old Shaheen’s own instant access savings account.
But Andrew Macintosh, prosecuting, said none of the victims, who were from across the country, received their tickets, holidays or refunds and in total Shaheen stole £34,250.