Kerala: 65-year-old held for cheating luxury hotels, fleeing 'multiple times' without paying bill

The man was arrested on a recent complaint by South Park Hotel, a five-star establishment in the heart of the state capital, where he had stayed and then left without paying the bill, an officer of Cantonment Police Station said.

A 65-year old man, who allegedly used to stay in five-star hotels and leave without paying the bill, was caught on Sunday from near Kollam Railway Station and has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, police said.

During investigation, his mobile number was traced and his photograph from CCTV footage of the hotel was also circulated, the officer said.

The man was arrested on a recent complaint by South Park Hotel, a five-star establishment in the heart of the state capital, where he had stayed and then left without paying the bill, an officer of Cantonment Police Station said. He also stole a laptop from there, the officer said.

During investigation, his mobile number was traced and his photograph from CCTV footage of the hotel was also circulated, the officer said. Subsequently, his mobile was located near Kollam Railway Station and with the help of Kollam police the accused was arrested by a team from Cantonment Police Station, the officer added.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that he has allegedly committed such frauds several times in the past in Kerala and other states, like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa, police said. "We are waiting for people to identify him from the photograph circulated and then only we can accurately say how many times he has committed such an offence," the officer said.

During initial questioning, he claimed to be single and that he does not have any family, police said.