Sasan Gir: The State Cyber Crime Cell has arrested three individuals in connection with fraudulent online bookings of tourist slots for the lion safari at Sasan Gir. The accused allegedly manipulated the Forest Department’s website to create an artificial scarcity of safari tickets, which they then sold at inflated prices.

An investigation by CID Crime revealed that the suspects exploited the official online permit booking system. Government rules allow only one permit per person, but the accused allegedly booked multiple slots under the same name by making minor alterations to email IDs.

Of more than 83,000 bookings made by the accused, approximately 12,000 were unauthorized. These tickets were sold at rates two to nine times higher than the official charges, particularly during peak tourist seasons, resulting in significant financial exploitation of tourists. Similar fraudulent bookings were also made for Ranotsav, the Statue of Unity, and Tent City. The scam has been linked to travel agencies including AB Tours and Travels of Ahmedabad and Naz Tours and Travels of Junagadh.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Alpesh Bhalani, a resident of Thaltej in Ahmedabad, and Sultan Baloch and Ejaz Sheikh, both residents of Sasan Gir. Police stated that the accused had pre-registered to book multiple permits simultaneously.

The Hotel Association had complained that the permit quota was being suspiciously booked within minutes. Following the complaint, the matter was widely reported in the media and the investigation was handed over to the CID Cyber Cell, which uncovered the fraud.

Legal proceedings have been initiated against the three accused, and further investigations are underway to identify other travel agents or individuals involved in similar fraudulent activities. DeshGujarat