A man, who posed as a staff of the UAE Royal Family, has allegedly cheated New Delhi’s Leela Palace Hotel of nearly Rs 24 lakh. The accused stayed at the five-star hotel for months and left without informing the staff. He allegedly stole silverware and a mother-of-pearl tray from the hotel room as well.
The man identified as Md Sharif stayed at the hotel from August 1 to November 20 last year. The police said he owes Rs 23-24 lakh to the hotel. A case was registered by the hotel management against Sharif on Saturday.
In their complaint, the hotel staff stated that the man said he lived in the UAE and worked with the Office of Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi. He told the staff that he worked with the Sheikh personally and was visiting India for official work.
The complainant said the accused stayed in room number 427 and escaped with valuables, without settling his outstanding bills. As per the complaint, he owes the hotel a total amount worth Rs 23,46,413. The accused used a fake business card and had impersonated as an important functionary of the government of the United Arab Emirates, the FIR said according to an Indian Express report.
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The report further stated that the total bill for the room and other amenities added up to Rs 35 lakh, but Sharif had paid almost Rs 11.5 lakh earlier to stay at the hotel.
Sharif had given the staff another cheque for Rs 20 lakh dated November 20, 2022, but the cheque bounced due to insufficient funds.
To gain the staff’s trust, Sharif told them about his “work and life in the UAE” and spoke about the royal family to look “influential”, said the police.
The Delhi police are now scanning CCTV cameras to identify the man.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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