Police search for ‘fraudster’ who conned five star hotel out of thousands

Police in India are searching for a man who allegedly stayed at a five-star hotel in capital Delhi for nearly two years without paying the bill.

Suspect Ankush Dutta booked a room at the Roseate House hotel near the international airport in Delhi for a single night on 30 May 2019. But he extended his stay for 603 nights until 22 January 2021, the hotel claimed in their police complaint.

He allegedly owed the hotel Rs 5.8m (£55,650).

The hotel alleged that the man colluded with the staff, who helped him hide his mounting bills.

A complaint has been filed against several hotel employees, including head of the hotel’s front office department Prem Prakash, for conspiracy, forgery and cheating.

Hotel authorities alleged that Mr Prakash was responsible for maintaining accounts and bills of outstanding dues – information which was withheld from the management.

The hotel rules stated that if a guest owed more than Rs 50,000 (£479), the staff was obligated to inform the senior management in order to push them for the payment. However, the rule was believed to have been violated by the staff.

"We believe Prakash forged the records. He even removed Dutta’s names from daily reports where his hotel bills were stated," a senior police officer told the Indian Express newspaper.

Authorities suspected that Mr Prakash used his credentials to log into the system and change records to charge Rs0 for at least 52 nights.

Hotel records showed that Mr Dutta was shifted from one room to another but his hotel stay was reduced by 308 nights to show a lesser bill amount. Police also found that the suspect provided fake receipts and three cheques that couldn't be cashed.

“The guest and the staffers resorted to several ways to avoid paying bills. They owe more than Rs 58 lakh to the hotel. They deleted entries, forged reports, gave forged cheques and documents, and cheated the hotel by misusing its electronic system,” the police officer added.

Earlier this year, a man was arrested for allegedly posing as an employee of Abu Dhabi‘s royal family and fleeing a luxury hotel where he was staying for months without paying the hefty bill.

The man, identified as Mohammed Sharif, fled the Leela Palace hotel in Delhi after living there for four months and raking up a bill of Rs 23,00,000 (£23,022).

He was arrested from the southern city of Bengaluru on 19 January.