A woman travel agent, Sukhwinder Kaur, resident of Raj Nagar in Basti Bawakhel, here, who had duped people to the tune of Rs 45 lakh on the pretext of sending them to the UK, is moving scot-free and her victims alleged that she was being helped by the police.

Sukhwinder has applied for bail in the court. Police, on the other hand, claimed that they had been raiding her place, but she was not available. Kulwinder Kaur, one of the victims, told mediapersons today that Sukhwinder had charged Rs 6.2 lakh from her in July last and promised to send her to the UK in August. She had duped about nine people to the tune of Rs 45 lakh, including Lakhbir Kaur of Kapurthala who had paid Rs 9 lakh, Kulwinder added. She alleged that the police registered a case against Sukhwinder, her husband, Nirmal Singh, and two sons on November 15, 2007, after a delay of three months. She added that later, some policemen went to her place to inform her that they would be arrested in a fraud case. "Why did the police go there and informed her about the arrest? They gave her an opportunity to go underground,” asked Palwinder Singh, another victim who paid her Rs 2.77 lakh. The victims alleged that the woman and her family were not living at their earlier residence, but were very much in Jalandhar because she has been running her boutique with the help of her relatives.