They came to India on honeymoon and wanted to make it memorable with a visit to Kashmir. Their journey would indeed remain etched in their memory but in a traumatic way.
A French couple were cheated by a travel agent in Delhi. When they tried to lodge a complaint, their ordeal only worsened as the Delhi Police tourist WhatsApp helpline did not respond to their messages.
The couple in their complaint stated that they arrived in Delhi on September 14 and the moment they came out of the Airport Metro Line, a tout approached them with a “lucrative” travel offer. The two were taken to a tour and travels office in Connaught Place where the manager booked them a four-night, five-day holiday package to Kashmir. He promised them great facilities and good accommodation in Kashmir, including a boathouse stay.
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However, when the couple reached the State, they were in for a shock. “The hotel had broken windows, the staff were rude and the houseboat staff asked us to leave at the earliest. No Wi-Fi network was provided to us. We tried contacting the travel agent in Delhi, but he did not take the call. We preferred to leave the place and boarded a flight back to Delhi,” said the French national.
On reaching the Capital on September 18, they raised the issue with the French embassy. An embassy official advised them to report the matter to the Delhi Police tourist helpline. After sending messages to the WhatsApp number the couple kept waiting for a response from the police, but in vain. The messages had blue ticks suggesting they were read, but no replies were sent from the other end. A senior police officer said they are looking into the reason why no one responded to the messages.
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They reached out to a policeman at Red Fort for assistance but the officer could not understand their accent. He asked them to go the police station and an officer there guided them to the police headquarters.
“At the police headquarters, we went up and down several floors to find right officer who could address our issues. Finally, a police officer on the fifth floor heard our grievances and asked another officer to look into the matter,” said the tourist.
The travel agent was then brought to the police station. “We were left alone with the travel agent to discuss and negotiate as no policemen could communicate in English. The situation put us in a weaker position. The travel agent agreed to refund certain amount. We were asked to sign a paper and we left the police station,” he added.