Man held for defrauding many in villa booking scam

The accused, identified as Akash Rupkumar Jadhavani, is a habitual offender, with investigations revealing at least 15 criminal cases registered against him. He was produced before a Borivali judicial magistrate and remanded in police custody for four days, the police said

MUMBAI: A 25-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly cheating several people by advertising luxury villas on social media and collecting advance amounts for their bookings.

Man held for defrauding many in villa booking scam

The accused, identified as Akash Rupkumar Jadhavani, is a habitual offender, with investigations revealing at least 15 criminal cases registered against him. He was produced before a Borivali judicial magistrate and remanded in police custody for four days, the police said.

According to the police, the case came to light following a complaint by Aditya Suryaprakash Toshniwal, 28, a Goregaon resident employed with a private firm. Toshniwal was tasked with arranging accommodation for a two-day company picnic scheduled for August 15 and 16 in Lonavala.

The police said that while searching for stay options online, Toshniwal came across a social media advertisement for a villa named La Rive. On contacting the number provided, a person identifying himself as Nishant Ahuja confirmed the villa’s availability and quoted a rent of ₹1.5 lakh for two days. After agreeing to the deal, Toshniwal transferred the amount to a bank account, details of which were shared by the accused, along with GST details.

On August 14, a day before the trip, Ahuja allegedly informed Toshniwal that the villa was unavailable due to repair work and assured him that the booking amount would be refunded within five to seven days. However, the money was not returned even after a week had passed and the phone number was unreachable.

Suspecting foul play, Toshniwal verified the GST number provided and discovered that it belonged to a different hotel chain, following which he realised he had been duped. He subsequently approached the Vanrai police and filed a complaint.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case under relevant sections for cheating and IT offences and traced the money trail, leading to Jadhavani’s arrest. Further investigation revealed that the accused had allegedly carried out similar frauds at multiple locations. “He cheated several people by collecting money under the pretext of villa bookings through social media platforms. The funds were used for lavish spending and expensive purchases,” a Vanrai police officer said.