A travel agent who scammed holiday makers out of thousands of pounds has received a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Abida Khatoon Kyani became the subject of a criminal investigation following a number of complaints consumers made to police and Ealing Council's trading standards team. 

Between October 2017 and August 2018, countless customers who booked plane tickets through Kyani's company SM Travel Limited found themselves not flying, but de-frauded after their tickets failed to materialise.

In some cases, Kyani's victims arrived at their departure airport with bags packed, expecting to catch flights they had paid for, only to find they had not been purchased. Most customers were buying flights to Pakistan, India and Afghanistan and many were travelling to see relatives – often relatives who were ill. 

Officers visited Southall where the SM Travel Limited premises were based at the ABC Shopping Centre, The Broadway, in July 2018 and noticed numerous consumers arguing with Kyani over payments made for airline tickets she had later cancelled.

Documentation was seized for an investigation which culminated more than four years later when Kyani was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on August 23, 2022.

The fraudulent travel agent admitted to two counts of breaching trading standards legislation by taking cash for flight tickets that she never actually bought for customers.

As well as a suspended prison sentence Kyani was also ordered to pay each victim compensation and complete community service including 10 days' rehabilitation activity and 100 hours' unpaid work.

She was also disqualified from being a company director for six years.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, Ealing Council's cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: "We have pledged to get tough on fraudsters who take advantage of consumers. In this case, Ms Kyani deceived people out of their hard-earned cash for once-in-a-lifetime flight tickets to visit relatives, often relatives who were ill. This case demonstrates that our trading standards officers will persistently and robustly pursue criminals via enforcement and through the courts to ensure justice is done. These actions by our officers have sent a warning to those who might try to profit by defrauding our residents and consumers."

Mohammed Tariq, the council's senior trading standards officer led the investigation. He said: "Many of these vulnerable victims, who trusted Ms Kyani to provide flights, suffered emotionally as well as financially from the difficulties that arose from this fraudulent and dishonest trading. It is important that consumers conduct their own research into travel companies that they are thinking of using and make sure they are members of ABTA and are ATOL protected by checking online."