Kolkata Police arrest Pune man in fake hotel booking website scam

Kolkata: Kolkata Police have arrested a 41-year-old man from Pune for allegedly running fake hotel booking websites that duped customers across the country, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused, Huzaifa Shabbir Darbar, was taken into custody on January 27 from his office in Pune during a joint operation carried out by Kolkata Police and the local police team.

According to investigators, Darbar and his associates created several fraudulent websites that closely resembled those of well-known hotels. Customers were allegedly tricked into making online payments in the name of confirming room reservations.

Police said at least 83 people were cheated, with the total amount involved estimated at Rs 13.6 lakh.

The case was registered on July 18 at the Cyber Police Station in Kolkata under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The complaint was filed by a police officer after multiple victims came forward.

In one instance, a Kolkata resident tried to book a hotel room in Puri through what appeared to be a legitimate website. He was first asked to pay Re 1 as a verification charge. Later, he was persuaded to transfer more money via UPI, allegedly due to repeated transaction failures. After making the full payment, he neither received a booking confirmation nor any response to his calls. He eventually reported the matter to the national cybercrime helpline and his local police station.

During the investigation, police issued notices to banks and domain service providers. They discovered that the fake website was hosted on a foreign domain platform. Technical analysis led officers to an email ID and mobile number allegedly linked to the accused.

With court approval, police conducted raids at Darbar’s residence and office in Pune. Officials said he admitted his involvement during questioning. Several electronic devices, including a mobile phone, laptop and pen drive containing digital data, were seized.

The arrest was made based on a warrant issued by a Kolkata court, and police said all legal procedures were followed, including informing the accused and his family about the reasons for his arrest.

Further investigation is ongoing to identify and track down other individuals who may be part of the racket.

(with inputs from agencies)