Abu Dhabi: A group of workers living in Abu Dhabi’s Musaffah industrial area have alleged that a travel agency closed down its office after issuing “fake flight tickets” to them.
The Bangladeshi workers had planned to celebrate Eid Al Adha with their families back home.
Eskandoor Hussain Ali, 28, an aluminium fabricator from Chittagong, was counting the hours to meet his 10-month-old daughter for the first time. However, when he reached Abu Dhabi airport to board a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at 11.30pm on August 25, he was shocked to hear from airline officials that his ticket was invalid.
“I was in tears while explaining my unexpected ordeal to my wife and returning to my accommodation,” said Ali, an Abu Dhabi resident for nine years.
His friend Mohammad Najimuddin, 25, also an aluminium fabricator, added: “The next day, when we went to confront the travel agency in sector 24 of Musaffah industrial area, we found the office closed. Someone said it was open for a few hours on August 25, but the next day all we found were many victims like us in front of the closed office.”
Najimuddin has been living in Abu Dhabi for seven years.
According to receipts issued by the travel agency, Ali paid Dh2,000 on July 29 and Najimuddin paid Dh1,650 on June 20 for their return tickets.
When Ali and Najimuddin shared their bitter experience with relatives and friends, it turned out that many who had brought return tickets from the same agency for travel on a later date had also been duped.
Mohammad Alam Gir, 32, a storekeeper, paid Dh1,650 for his return ticket to Bangladesh; Mohammad Salim, 29, a printing press operator, paid Dh1,690, and Tanjimuddin, 29, a quality controller, paid Dh1,580.
All of them contacted Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ Abu Dhabi office and were informed that their tickets were invalid.
All these workers planned to travel at the start of their annual leave, but they are now sitting helpless at their accommodation.
None of them could not find an affordable ticket to reach Bangladesh before Eid Al Adha. Most have now bought one-way tickets costing around Dh1,100 and will start flying out from September 1 (the first day of Eid). So why did these workers fall prey to this travel agency? “The Bangladeshi staff said their compatriot owner was providing special offers to Bangladesh,” said Alam Gir, an Abu Dhabi resident for 12 years.
They added that the agency was issuing tickets of many other airlines and some other Asians and Africans could also be among the victims.
When Gulf News tried to contact Silk Line Travel, the agency in question, on its landline on Monday and Tuesday, there was no response. Two mobile numbers given on the tickets were switched off.
However, an email sent by Gulf News received this reply: “Yes, two-three flight passenger(s) got problem [sic]... We will be solving that problem soon and give there (sic) money as early possible.”
A further reply said they closed the office as passengers who could not travel would not accept their explanation without getting a refund.
The next email blamed an airline for the situation, but the agency would not give any proof to support its claims despite repeated reminders.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines told Gulf News that the agency was making false bookings and issuing those receipts to customers instead of confirmed tickets.
“After making a booking, an agency has three to four days to confirm the booking by paying the airline. If it does not confirm a ticket within the stipulated time, the system automatically cancels the booking. This is what has happened in these cases,” said Iqbal Ahmad Chowdhury, regional manager, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
He advised customers to buy tickets from reputed travel agents and not be lured by cheap offers.
The Bangladeshi embassy is looking into the matter and has promised to help the victims.
“We are waiting to receive written complaints from the alleged victims,” said Armanulla Chaudhari, labour counsellor.
Sources in the travel industry in Abu Dhabi said another travel agent had fled with customers’ money during Eid a few years back.
“Using attractive offers, the agent collected a huge amount from customers by making false bookings,” a veteran agent said.
