A 47-year-old man was allegedly cheated of ₹99,666 by cyber fraudsters while attempting to book accommodation at the Kumarakrupa Guest House through an online platform. The incident came to light after the victim realized that the supposed booking agent had severed all contact following the financial transfers, prompting him to approach the authorities. The Cyber Crime Police have registered a criminal case and initiated an investigation to map the transaction trail and trace the digital identities of the accused.
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Digital Redirection via Search Engines to WhatsApp
The financial fraud initiated when the complainant was searching online for reliable holiday accommodations and came across a deceptive contact listing that claimed to facilitate official homestay and guest house bookings. Upon engaging with the number, the victim was instructed to click on a custom web link. This URL automatically redirected his interface to WhatsApp, establishing a direct chat session with an unidentified individual.
The perpetrator, communicating entirely in Hindi, manipulated the conversation to build trust and simulate an authentic hospitality booking framework. To finalize the room reservations and secure the itinerary, the fraudster forwarded multiple QR codes via the messaging app and instructed the traveler to scan them sequentially to process the confirmation fees.
Exploitation of Multiple Transactions and Immediate Blackout
Believing the digital booking process to be completely genuine, the complainant complied with the instructions and authorized a series of five distinct transactions from his bank account on June 23. In total, the coordinated QR code scans drained exactly ₹99,666 from his financial reserves. The operation instantly transitioned into a blackout once the capital cleared; the accused stopped responding to any follow-up messages, provided no valid booking receipts, and failed to arrange any actual accommodation.
Realising that he had fallen victim to an organized digital trap, the man lodged a formal complaint detailing the mobile numbers and transaction logs. Based on this primary report, the Cyber Crime Police officially registered an FIR under Sections 66C (punishment for identity theft) and 66D (punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The police also invoked Sections 319(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which govern cheating by personation and criminal cheating.
Preventive Travel Guidelines and Device Compliance
Zonal cyber crime experts note that holiday travelers are increasingly being targeted by fake listings, cloned websites, and search engine manipulation tactics that redirect traffic to private messaging accounts. Criminal networks intentionally exploit the high demand for popular guest houses and seasonal homestays to rush victims into making immediate digital payments under the threat of losing the accommodation.
Law enforcement agencies strongly advise citizens to exclusively utilize verified, official government portals or recognized hospitality applications when reserving public guest facilities. Travelers should completely refrain from scanning unverified QR codes or transferring money into private individual bank accounts based solely on verbal assurances over WhatsApp. If any unauthorized financial extraction or deceptive interaction occurs, consumers are urged to immediately flag the incident to the national cybercrime response system to implement fast-tracked bank reversals.
