MAPUSA
A dream holiday came with a price tag. For three Bengaluru customers, however, the holiday allegedly never came.
Instead, what they say they got was a sales pitch, a swipe of their credit cards and, subsequently, a frustrating chase for the vacation packages they had paid for.
Three separate cheating cases registered at Anjuna and Calangute police stations have now put the operations of Goa Life Vacation Pvt Ltd and Beatrix Holiday Pvt Ltd under the scanner, with customers alleging that they were collectively duped of Rs 3.14 lakh through strikingly similar holiday-package deals.
The accused in all three cases is Gaurish Ratnakar Shirodkar, proprietor/director of the two companies, along with unidentified representatives or staff.
What makes the complaints particularly significant is the strikingly similar trail alleged by the three customers. They were approached or persuaded to attend holiday-package presentations, offered access to a wide range of domestic and international destinations, and induced to make substantial upfront payments. When it came to delivering the promised holidays – or returning the money – the customers allege that the company became increasingly difficult to reach.
Complainant Nilesh Patil alleged that he was drawn in through a lucky-draw promotional activity at Lemon Tree Hotel, Anjuna, in May this year. The promotional pitch allegedly led him to a holiday-package presentation, where he was sold an international holiday package and paid Rs 1.10 lakh through his credit card under an EMI scheme.
Patil alleged that after making further enquiries and coming across information about other people who had allegedly faced a similar experience, he repeatedly tried contacting Shirodkar and his representatives. He claims his attempts to get the matter resolved went unanswered. Another complaint, also registered at Anjuna, came from Raghav Choudhary, who alleged that he and his wife were approached at Arpora on December 27 last year. The couple was allegedly sold a package promising access to more than 76 domestic and 180 international destinations and paid Rs 1.04 lakh through Bank of Baroda and HSBC credit cards.
When the couple allegedly realised that the promised package was not being delivered, Choudhary said they repeatedly demanded a refund but failed to get their money back.In the third case registered at Calangute, Shane R Perinayak alleged that he was induced at the Radisson Hotel, Candolim, in October 2025 to purchase a five-year holiday package for Rs 1 lakh, paid through a credit card. Perinayak alleged that despite paying for the package, the promised services were not delivered and his money was also not refunded. The three complaints have been registered under Section 318(4) read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, pertaining to cheating and acts done with common intention. Shirodkar has not been arrested in any of the cases so far. Further investigation is on.
Three more cases registered in Panaji
Three cases were registered at the Panaji police station for allegedly cheating tourists by promising holiday packages, accommodation and travel services.
A Thane resident alleged that he paid Rs 1.5 lakh for a holiday membership offered at a Panaji-based hotel in March, but neither received the promised services nor a refund. In another case, a Hyderabad woman alleged that Rs 1.6 lakh was charged to her after she handed over her debit card and shared OTPs purportedly for an eligibility check. Another complainant from Odisha alleged that he lost Rs 60,000 after opting for a holiday package through a credit-card EMI scheme following a lucky-draw promotion.Several company officials and representatives have been named in some of the cases. Further investigations are underway.
