The Dahisar police have booked two brothers and arrested one for allegedly defrauding several people in Mumbai and its surrounding cities by booking villas, hotels, and resorts online for picnics and parties.
According to police sources, the duo created a fake online website called "Vistara Stays, Vacation Home Rental" and uploaded photos of several major resorts, villas, and hotels, as well as advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.
According to police sources, the accused "lured people by offering huge discounts on advance booking, and after taking thousands of rupees in advance, they used to cancel bookings by saying that there was an accident in the resort, villa, or hotel, due to which it would be closed on the booking date." According to a police officer at Dahisar police station, a 32-year-old Dahisar woman who booked a villa in Karjat for a New Year's Eve party paid Rs 1.2 lakh through an online transaction on November 29.
"As the day came closer, the accused called and cancelled her booking, saying that an accident had happened in the villa, due to which the villa would remain closed on the booking date. They assured her that they would return the booking amount but did nothing. The victim approached the Dahisar police station and registered the complaint on January 30," said the police officer.
"Under the supervision of senior inspector Pravin Patil, and police inspector Sanjay Bangar, detection officers API Malhar Thorat and Ranjeet Chauhan began the investigation and traced the accused," he added.
One suspect, Akash Roopkumar Jadhvani, 23, was apprehended in Ghatkopar East. During the investigation, another name surfaced in connection with the case, according to the police, but the accused, 26-year-old Avinash Jadhvani, is still at large.