Man who duped Delhi hotel for lakhs in the guise of UAE official arrested from Karnataka

Besides cheating the hotel of Rs 23.46 lakh, he decamped with valuables, including silver bottle holders and the mother of a pearl tray, police said

A man who allegedly posed as an official of a UAE royal family and fled from a Delhi hotel without paying Rs 23.46 lakh was arrested from his home in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada, police said on Sunday.

Mahamed Shareefa, a 41-year-old graduate, had claimed that he was a senior functionary in the 'Office of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan' of the UAE government and gave a fake business card and UAE resident card while checking into The Leela Palace in the national capital on August 1 last year.

He was staying in Room Number 427 till November 20 last year and allegedly fled without settling the bill of Rs 23.46 lakh besides taking away valuables from the hotel, including silver bottle holders.

Following investigations after the hotel approached the police, investigators tracked Shareef to his residence in Dakshina Kannada and arrested him on January 19.

As part of the investigations, police had examined the footage from CCTV cameras installed inside and outside the hotel's premises, besides forming multiple teams to trace him.

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In its complaint to the police, The Leela Palace officials said, "It seems the guest purposely gave these cards to create a false image and garner extra trust with an intent to cheat and deceive the hotel at a later stage."

According to the hotel, Shareef made a few part settlements to the tune of Rs 11.5 lakh in August and September last year. The outstanding stood at Rs 23,48,413, against which Shareef allegedly gave a post-dated cheque worth Rs 20 lakh.

This cheque was submitted to the bank on September 22 but had bounced due to insufficent funds in Shareef's account, the hotel said in its complaint.

On November 20 last year around 1 pm, police said, Shareef allegedly fled the hotel with valuables.

“This seems to be completely pre-planned since we were under the impression that by 22 November, 2022, the hotel will get the dues cleared through the cheque he had submitted. This clearly signifies that Shareef had malafide intentions and a clear intent to deceive hotel authorities," the hotel said in its complaint.

This is a "clear case of theft, cheating and fraud", the hotel alleged.