Four Months Staying in Hotel: This Man Does Not Pay Bills, Suspected Of Stealing Silverware and Pearls

JAKARTA - Instead of paying the bill for the luxury hotel room he occupied for four months, this man allegedly stole the hotel's silverware and pearls before disappearing.

Police launched a search and arrested the man who, pretending to be an employee of a prominent family in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), stayed in a luxury hotel in the capital Delhi for four months, before fleeing without paying a bill of USD 28.000 or around IDR 419.580.000.

Authorities said the man they arrested, Mohammed Sharif, 41, previously worked with a wealthy family in the UAE for almost 10 years and was attracted by a lavish lifestyle, including a taste for shoes, cars and designer clothes.

Sharif, who holds an MBA in finance and business management, traveled a lot with his family, but in 2020 he had to return to his hometown of Puttur in south Karnataka, where he felt out of place, police said.

He decided to stay in a five-star hotel to "feel better", according to Indian police, reported The National News, January 23.

An investigating officer said the man they arrested told them how impressed he was with the lifestyle of the families he worked for, especially the mansions.

"He wanted to re-create that life in India," police said.

"He also showed us his shoes and claimed they cost 100.000 rupees (IDR 18.383.220). He admitted that he bought his shirt for 10.000 rupees (IDR 1.838.322)."

Authorities launched a manhunt last week, following a complaint from Hotel Leela Palace, a guest fled without paying his hotel bill, stealing silverware and pearls during a four-month stay.

To reassure others, the hotel said the man produced business cards, UAE residence cards and other documents. He also often chats with hotel staff about his life in the UAE to corroborate his story.

However, authorities at the time said the UAE resident card appeared to be fake and said they initially did not believe he had any links to well-known families in the UAE.

They said the man stayed at the hotel until November, collecting bills of more than 3.5 million rupees (USD 43.000).

While he paid 1.1 million rupees, he wrote a check for the remaining two million rupees, dated 20 November, before disappearing. The check was declined two days later due to insufficient funds.

Police said they traced the sim card to Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka, with the help of technical surveillance.

During investigations, it was discovered that another guest had previously stayed at a five-star hotel in Mumbai for more than six months, racking up a bill of 9 million rupees.

It is known that the authorities imposed charges of fraud, theft and impersonation of Sharif.