Man, who posed as UAE royal family staff and duped Delhi hotel of 23 lakh, held

The accused was booked for impersonation and theft on January 14 based on the complaint by the management. As per reports, he had also allegedly stolen silverware and a mother-of-pearl tray from the room.

A man, who allegedly impersonated as a staff of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and duped Delhi's Leela Palace hotel of ₹23.46 lakh after a nearly four-month long stay last year, was arrested by the Delhi Police from Karnataka, officials aware of the matter were quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The arrest of the man, who was identified as Mahamed Sharif, took place days after the reports of the accused being untraceable emerged. (ANI)

The arrest of the man, who was identified as Mahamed Sharif, took place days after the reports of the accused being untraceable emerged. “Delhi Police arrested accused Mahamed Sharif who duped The Leela Palace Hotel in New Delhi for ₹23.46 lakh. The accused was apprehended on Jan 19 from Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka,” the officials were quoted as saying.

The accused had allegedly fled without paying a big chunk of the total bill for his stay from August 1 to November 20 last year. “He checked into the hotel with a fake business card impersonating an important functionary of UAE government,” an official had earlier said.

The accused was booked for impersonation and theft on January 14 based on the complaint by the management. As per reports, he had also allegedly stolen silverware and a mother-of-pearl tray from the room.

Reportedly, the accused had told the hotel staff that he lived in UAE and worked with the Office of Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the royal family. The room that Sharif was staying in along with other amenities added up to ₹35 lakh, out of which he only paid around ₹11.5 lakh.

(With inputs from ANI)