Indian police are looking for a man who is allegedly Abu Dhabiof royal family and fled a luxury hotel where he lived for months without paying hefty bills.
The man, identified as Mohammad Sharif, fled the Leela Palace hotel in the capital delhi Lived there for four months and paid bills of 23,00,000 rupees (£23,022). The man was charged with fraud and theft, according to a complaint filed Saturday by hotel management.
Delhi Police said Mr Sharif checked into the hotel on 1 August 2022 and stayed until 20 November 2022. Mr Sharif then reportedly left room 427 without informing anyone.
Hotel management also accused him of scratching silverware, mother-of-pearl trays and other items from his room.
According to police, the man claimed to be an employee of Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s office and provided a fake business card. He allegedly told staff he was on a business trip in India and gave them a UAE resident card.
“The guests appear to have intentionally provided these cards to create a false image and gain additional trust, with the aim of defrauding and defrauding the hotel at a later stage,” the hotel management said in the complaint, news agency PTI reported.
“The guest has also paid part of the room rate in August 2022 and September 2022, worth Rs 1,150,000 (£11,500), but the total outstanding amount remains Rs 23,48,413 (£23,487).”
The hotel management added that the man had written a postdated check for Rs 20,000,000 (£20,000) due on November 21, which was presented to the bank the next day but returned due to insufficient funds.
Local police have been scouting through surveillance footage from cameras installed inside and outside the property.
“Multiple teams have been formed to track down the defendant. We have not yet been able to identify his occupation and efforts are underway to gather his personal details,” an official said.