Recently, a woman from Andhra Pradesh undertook an extended stay at a prestigious hotel situated in Delhi's Aerocity, where she resided for approximately 15 days. Over the course of her stay at the Pullman Hotel, she incurred a substantial bill totaling around Rs 6 lakh, with a significant portion, exceeding Rs 2 lakh, allocated towards indulging in spa services. However, the woman, identified as Jhansi Rani Samuel, found herself in legal trouble as she stands accused of deceiving the hotel through fraudulent means, despite having a mere Rs 41 in her bank account, as revealed by the police investigation.
According to hotel staff accounts, Samuel, using a counterfeit identity card under the name of Isha Dave, managed to access spa services amounting to Rs 2.11 lakh. Allegedly, Samuel purported to conduct transactions via the ICICI Bank UPI app, yet the hotel failed to receive any corresponding payments, leading to suspicions regarding the legitimacy of the app employed by the accused.
Delhi Police took Samuel into custody on January 13, initiating further inquiries into the matter. During subsequent investigations, it came to light that Samuel, who claimed to be a doctor with her husband residing in New York, possessed a nominal amount in her bank account. However, authorities are yet to substantiate Samuel's asserted identity.
This incident underscores a recurring trend of luxury hotels in Delhi falling victim to fraudulent schemes. In a similar case from the previous year, an individual managed to defraud a renowned 5-star establishment of a staggering Rs 23 lakh, in addition to absconding with valuable silverware and a mother-of-pearl tray from the premises.
Operating under the guise of an employee affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Royal family, the perpetrator extended his stay at the Leela Palace hotel for over four months, citing purported official engagements in India. Accumulating a hefty bill of Rs 35 lakh during his residency, the individual absconded without settling a significant portion of the amount owed, leaving the hotel to grapple with the repercussions of the financial loss incurred.
