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New Delhi
Delhi police are looking for a man who pretended to be an employee of the Abu Dhabi royal family and stayed at the Leela Palace Hotel for over four months. He duped the 5-star hotel of Rs 24 lakh ($29,330) and also stole silverware and a mother-of-pearl tray from the hotel room.
The accused, Md Sharif, told the hotel staff that he resided in the UAE and is in India for some official work. Sharif, who stayed in room number 427 at the hotel, even said he personally worked with the Office of Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi, Leela Hotelâs management said at the time of filing the complaint, according to News18.
âOne of our in-house guests⦠has run off from the hotel on 20th November 2022 with valuables and also without settling his outstanding bills⦠and has cheated The Leela Palace New Delhi of amount worth INR 23,46,413/- The guest checked into the hotel with a fake business card and had impersonated as an important functionary of the government of United Arab Emirates,â the FIR read.
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While speaking with the hotel staff, heâd often boast about his âwork and life with the Royal family of Abu Dhabiâ to look influential, authorities said.
Sharif stayed at the hotel from August 1 to November 20 last year and fled without settling the pending bills of $29,330, The Tribune reported. Out of the total bill of Rs 35 lakh ($42,796), he had reportedly paid Rs 11 lakh ($13,444) to the luxury hotel.
âThis seems to be completely pre-planned since we were under the impression that by 22nd November 2022, the hotel will get dues cleared through the cheque he had submitted. This clearly signifies that Mr Sharif had malafide intentions and a clear intent to deceive hotel authorities,â the complainant told police.
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âWe donât think his ID cards are genuine and he is not related to the royal family in Abu Dhabi. We are checking if he has done this before. He paid part of the bill in August-September last year and later gave the hotel a cheque of Rs 20 lakh ($24,455). The cheque was submitted in November and it was found that it bounced due to insufficient funds,â a senior police officer told the publication.
On Saturday, a case was registered against the accused and he was booked for impersonation, theft and cheating. Police, who are yet to verify his personal details and occupation, assured that the accused will soon be apprehended.
âAt this stage, itâs unclear where the man stayed before coming to the hotel. We are checking CCTVs and have mounted technical surveillance. He will be nabbed soon,â the officer stated.
(With inputs from agencies)
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