Man “Arrested” for Impersonating as UAE Royalty and Duping Delhi Leela Hotel

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 22nd Jan. A man impersonating an official of the government of the United Arab Emirates was arrested for allegedly duping a hotel in the national capital by fleeing without paying his outstanding bill of more than Rs 20 lakhs.

According to the police, the man, identified as Mahamed Sharif (41), from Karnataka’s Dakshin Kannada, presented a fake business card and stayed at the hotel for nearly three months last year.

He fled with hotel valuables and without paying his outstanding bills, causing the hotel a huge loss of Rs 23,46,413.

Following the incident, on January 14, this year, the police registered a FIR at the Sarojini Nagar police station on the complaint of Anupam Das Gupta, who claimed to be the hotel’s General Manager.

“A case under sections 419/420/380 IPC was registered at PS Sarojini Nagar on the complaint of Anupam Das Gupta who alleged that he is the General Manager of The Leela Hotel Palace, Sarojini Nagar, Delhi and the accused person namely Mahamed Sharif stayed at The Leela Palace, New Delhi from 1st August 2022 and he ran off from the hotel on 20th November 2022 with hotel valuables and without settling his outstanding bills,” the police said.

Based on the complaint, a team was formed to apprehend the evading accused, and efforts were made to locate the accused.

Sharif was apprehended in Dakshin Kannada on January 19 and brought before the court.

According to the police, the accused checked into the hotel with a fake business card and pretended to be an important functionary of the UAE government (office of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan).

“He also gave a resident card of the United Arab Emirates on his arrival on 1st August 2022. After staying for about 3.5 months, the accused fled from the hotel with hotel valuables and submitted a post-dated cheque worth INR 20 Lakhs, but due to insufficient funds the cheque bounced which clearly signified his malafide intentions and a clear intent to deceive the hotel authorities,” the police said.