A man organizing Umrah trips collected over $100,000 from 74 people and spent it on online gambling

In Khodjaabad district of Andijan region, a scandal broke out involving fraud. Seventy-four people became victims of an organizer of Umrah trips who collected over $100,000 from them. Instead of paying for their pilgrimage, he spent the money on online gambling.

How did it happen?

Trusting citizens handed over significant sums of money to the fraudster for organizing their trips. He assured them that he would personally deposit the money in the bank to save them the hassle. However, the funds were instead used for participation in online gambling.

«We planned to go to Umrah as a family – my father, my wife, and I. Together, we gave him 54 million sums, 17 million from each of us. He assured us that he would deposit the money in the bank, so we wouldn’t need to worry. We believed him. But later, we found out that he spent our money on gambling and lost it. Moreover, he deceived dozens of other people. We learned about this only during the investigation and trial. Now I urge everyone to be cautious: never hand over cash, even to acquaintances. It’s better to deposit the money in the bank yourself,» said one of the victims.

Criminal case initiation

As confirmed by the investigation, the fraudster used the trust of citizens to deceitfully obtain their funds. A criminal case was initiated by the investigative team of the Khodjaabad district’s internal affairs department. The organizer of the fraudulent scheme was arrested and charged under Part 4, Article 168 (Fraud) of the Criminal Code.

The court found the man guilty. He was sentenced to five years and two months of imprisonment.