Man who fled Hotel Leela Palace without paying Rs 23 lakh bill arrested in Karnataka

The Delhi Police have arrested the man who impersonated himself as a member of the Royal Family of UAE and duped The Leela Palace Hotel in New Delhi for Rs 23.46 lakh. Accused Mahamed Sharif was apprehended on January 19 from Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, news agency ANI reported on Sunday.

Sharif checked into the hotel in August and stayed there till November - about four months. However, he fled the hotel without clearing his bills. He ran off from Leela Palace hotel without settling outstanding bills of Rs 23.46 lakh after staying from August 1 to November 20 last year.  

Sharif checked into the hotel with a fake business card impersonating an important functionary of the UAE government. He stayed in the hotel's room number 427 for months before leaving.

A case was registered after the hotel management lodged a complaint. The complaint stated that the accused allegedly stole silverware and other valuable items from the hotel room.

The hotel staff told the police that Sharif told them that he lived in the UAE and worked with the Office of Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi. He also told the hotel staff that he worked closely with the Sheikh, and was in India for some official work.  

They added that Sharif produced a fake UAE resident card, and a business card, along with some other documents. According to the FIR, the accused had paid nearly Rs 11.5 lakh to stay at the hotel for a longer period. However, he left on November 20 at nearly 1 pm, without paying most of the amount.

After examining the documents and cards, the police said his identity cards were not genuine and that he holds no connection with the royal family in Abu Dhabi.