Online homestay booking scam: Man loses ₹99,666 in cyber fraud

A 47-year-old man was allegedly cheated of ₹99,666 by cyber fraudsters while attempting to book accommodation atKumarakrupa Guest House through an online platform.

According to the complaint, hewas searching online for accommodation when he came across a contact claiming to offer homestay bookings. He was directed to click a web link, which redirected him to WhatsApp, where he began communicating with an unidentified person.

The accused, speaking in Hindi, allegedly sent multiple QR codes through WhatsApp and instructed the complainant to make payments to confirm the room booking. Believing the booking to be genuine, the complainant transferred ₹99,666 from his bank account in five transactions on June 23.

After receiving the payments, the accused allegedly stopped responding and no accommodation was arranged. Realising that he had been cheated, the victim lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case under Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Sections 319(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. An investigation is under way to trace the accused and recover the defrauded amount.