Bhubaneswar: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Odisha Police has arrested two persons from Rajasthan for allegedly running a fake hotel booking website and duping tourists seeking accommodation in Puri.
The accused, identified as Aamir Khan (24) and Yusuf (27), were apprehended following a detailed investigation. Earlier, another accused, Anshuman Sharma, was arrested from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, in connection with the same case.
According to an official press release, the case came to light when the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Cyber Crime Police Station, CID-Crime Branch, Odisha, Cuttack lodged a formal complaint after receiving a petition from the Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration, Puri. The complaint revealed a booking scam involving Hotel Neeladri Bhakta Nivas.
Investigations revealed that the fraudsters had created a fake website—www.neeladribhaktanivas.in—and listed the mobile number 6375024509 to mislead unsuspecting tourists. Victims were lured with false promises of accommodation and were instructed to transfer money to mule bank accounts. Meanwhile, the hotel authorities remained unaware of the fraudulent bookings until complaints began pouring in.
A special CID team led by Inspector Abantimani Nayak tracked the digital footprints and transaction details, which led them to the accused in Rajasthan. After securing a transit remand from the Govindgarh Court in Alwar, the two were brought to Odisha and produced before the Court of JMFC-III (Cognizance), Cuttack.
The trio has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2), 61(2), and 3(5), along with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Police have urged the public to remain vigilant while booking accommodations online.
