CHENNAI: A 69-year-old man from Tamil Nadu has been arrested for allegedly defrauding more than 300 luxury hotels across India over the past 36 years by posing as a foreign tour guide, English teacher or yoga instructor, according to media reports.
The accused, identified as Bingson John, was arrested in Bhubaneswar following a complaint lodged by a five-star hotel in Raipur. Police alleged that after checking into premium hotels, he would avail of luxury services, leave without settling the bill and, in some cases, steal hotel property.
The latest case was registered after the Hyatt Hotel in Raipur alleged that John checked in on June 25 and left on June 27 without completing the checkout process. Police said he failed to pay an outstanding bill of Rs 63,755 and allegedly took away a laptop worth around Rs 1.48 lakh that had been provided to him on request.
Following a complaint from the hotel, the Telibandha Police and the Anti-Crime and Cyber Unit analysed the documents and mobile numbers provided by the accused, eventually tracing him to Bhubaneswar, where he was arrested.
Later, the laptop was also recovered.
During interrogation, police said John admitted to targeting more than 300 luxury hotels across the country since 1990. Investigators claimed criminal cases have been registered against him in more than 10 states.
Police further alleged that John spent over 15 years in various prisons, including Tihar Jail, where he reportedly came into contact with several criminals.
According to Raipur Police, the accused told investigators that he had been inspired by serial killer Charles Sobhraj and adopted similar methods of deception by assuming different professional identities to gain the trust of hotel staff before allegedly carrying out the frauds.