The accused, Bingson John, allegedly posed as a foreign tourist guide, English teacher, or yoga trainer to gain entry into five-star hotels. According to police, he would stay for several days, use hotel facilities, and leave without clearing his bills.
Police said John also allegedly took valuable hotel property during some of these incidents.
His latest alleged offence took place at the Hyatt Hotel in Raipur, where he stayed for two days and left without paying a bill of Rs 63,755. He also allegedly took away a laptop worth around Rs 1.48 lakh from the hotel, police said.
After receiving a complaint from the hotel, the Anti-Crime and Cyber Unit along with Telibandha Police Station officials launched an investigation. Investigators analysed his mobile phone records, documents, and other technical evidence before tracing his location to Bhubaneswar in Odisha.
A Raipur Police team arrested John within 72 hours and recovered the stolen laptop, which he allegedly took from the hotel claiming it was required for office work.
During questioning, John allegedly admitted that he had used the same method to deceive more than 300 luxury hotels across the country since 1990.
Earlier in 2022, he was arrested near Kollam Railway Station in Kerala after a five-star hotel in Thiruvananthapuram filed a complaint alleging that he had stayed at the property and left without paying his bill.
Police said John checked into the hotel, behaved like a respectable guest, and gained the confidence of the staff to such an extent that they did not demand any advance payment. After staying at the hotel, he allegedly left without settling the bill and also stole a laptop from the property. A court later sent him to 14 days of judicial custody.
John studied at an English-medium school and never married. During the 1980s, he worked as a tourist guide in Delhi. As part of his profession, several hotels allowed him to stay without charges when he accompanied tourists.
During interrogation, John reportedly told police that he decided to target expensive hotels after he was insulted by staff members of a luxury hotel following an incident in which something went wrong, according to a report.
Police said John was first arrested in 1996 and was sent to Tihar Jail. He later spent nearly 15 years in prisons across different states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.
During interrogation, John allegedly told investigators that he was influenced by the methods of notorious serial killer and conman Charles Sobhraj while he was lodged in Tihar Jail.
Investigators said John adopted the use of fake identities and deception associated with Sobhraj's methods to target hotels. After being released from prison, he would allegedly travel to a new city, check into a luxury hotel using a false identity, stay for several days, enjoy the facilities, and leave without paying the bill.
Raipur Police are currently verifying his criminal history and collecting details of cases registered against him in different states. John has been produced before a court, and further investigation is underway.
The case has highlighted a decades-long pattern of alleged deception in which the accused reportedly exploited the trust of luxury hotels across India by repeatedly changing identities and targeting high-end properties.
About The Author
Comment List