Additional fee collected due to increase of Saudi Riyal rate: Indian Haj Committee
Haj Pilgrimage- 2018
Bengaluru, July 05: The Haj Committee of India asked the Haj pilgrims to pay additional amount along with the fee paid already as Saudi Arabia increased rates for various services and facilities.
Haj Committee of India chief executive officer Dr Maqsood Ahmed Khan clarified in his circular issued on June 26 about the factors caused additional fee for Haj pilgrimage. The bus fare for taking the pilgrims from Airport to the place of their accommodation was increased from 347.50 Saudi Riyals to 391.18 Riyals, Metro rail fare was increased from 250 Riyal to 400 Riyal, bed fee was fixed at 147 and Adahi coupons amount was increased from 450 Riyal to 475 Riyal. Moreover, the Air India has increased the airport taxes. As a result, the pilgrims who leave from Chennai airport have to pay Rs 200, from Goa, Varanasi and Kolkata airports Rs 850, from Mumbai airport Rs 250, Nagpura Rs 200 and those who leave from Srinagar should pay Rs 900 more, he said.
Apart from this, the rate of optional services like (Adahi (Qurbani), Johfa Meeqat and revision) was also hiked. For Qurbani coupons, one has to pay Rs 8508. Those who have already paid Rs 8000, have to pay additional Rs 508. For Johfa Meeqat of Shia Muslims, additional Rs 31,000 should be given, repeated pilgrims have to pay Rs 35,821 and those who have already paid the amount, should pay Rs 619 more, he said.
The additional amount could be made cash payment or credit the amount to the Haj Committee of India State Bank of India account (3217500010 ‘Fee Type 25’) or Union Bank of India (A/c: 318702010406009) through Green Pay In Slip or through online from the website: www.hajcommittee.gov.in, he said.
In Madina, the accommodation fee is slashed from 950 Riyal to 900 Riyals.
- Dr Maqsood Ahmed Khan, CEO, HCOI
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Three company directors held in Rs 100-crore investment fraud in Kochi
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
