Man accused of duping two French tourists in Delhi arrested

A man has been arrested on the charge of running a gang of touts which had allegedly duped two French tourists in the national capital on the pretext of facilitating tours of Jaipur and Agra, the police said today.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said the French tourists wanted to exchange foreign currency near Connaught Place circle here.

"Some touts interacted with them and misguided the tourist couple. They duped the tourists of Rs 27,782 on pretext of tours of Jaipur and Agra but no service or tour was provided to them," he was quoted as saying in a press release.

Riyaz Ahmed Boktoo (32) was arrested in connection with the case lodged under various sections of the IPC, including section 420 (cheating), and under the Delhi Prevention of Touting and Malpractices against Tourists Act, 2010, the police said.

During investigation, it was found that Boktoo was running the gang of touts in connivance with his partner Altaf, who was absconding since registration of the case, they said.

"The touts used to target foreign nationals visiting New Delhi. The activities of accused persons tarnish the image of shining India/Atithi Devo Bhava," the release said.

The police also claimed that Boktoo and the co-accused were active in Connaught Place area since long and they used to stay in Delhi during winters and move to Jammu and Kashmir in summers.