When spending the night at a ritzy hotel, it’s important that you actually have the funds to pay for the stay. Playing a risky game, a man attempted to dupe a hotel out of its payment when he posed as a member of the Royal Family of UAE.
Mahamed Sharif stayed at the Leela Palace hotel from August 1 to November 20, 2022. The man checked into the hotel using a fake business card and posing as an important functionary of the government of UAE office of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed AL Nahyan.
“He also gave a resident card of the United Arab Emirates on arrival. It seems the guest purposely gave these cards to create a false image and garner extra trust with an intent to cheat/deceive the hotel at a later stage,” the FIR said.
During his time there, the 34-year-old racked up a bill of almost $30,000. When he knew he couldn’t settle the outstanding bill, he fled the 5-star hotel. The Delhi Police arrested Sharif on January 19, 2023, in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district. He has since been charged with punishment for cheating by personation, cheating and theft in dwelling house, etc. in accordance with the Indian Penal Code.