A person who checked out of a hotel in Delhi without paying the bill has now been arrested, two months after the fraud incident. The Delhi Police arrested the accused, identified as Mohd Sharif, who presented himself as a member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates and duped The Leela Palace Hotel in New Delhi of Rs 23.46 lakh. Delhi Police said that the accused was caught from Karnataka on January 19
Mehmed Sharif stayed at the hotel between August 1 and November 20 last year. He checked into the hotel with a fake business card as an important official of the UAE government and then went missing after checking out secretly.
The Delhi Police was looking for him in a case of cheating lodged by the hotel. Sharif reportedly told hotel staff that he worked for Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family. According to media reports, he turned up in a hotel room with a fake business card posing as an important government official in the UAE.
According to the police, Sharif not only left suddenly but also allegedly stole silverware and other items from his room. The total cost of Sharif at the Leela Palace was around Rs 35 lakh, however, he paid only Rs 11.5 lakh during his stay.
Sharif allegedly gave a check of Rs 20 lakh to the hotel. The check was deposited in November and it was found that it bounced due to insufficient funds.
The man reportedly made the hotel staff believe his story as he narrated the royal lifestyle to the hotel staff and talked a lot about the royal family.