With the Jagannath Rath Yatra set to draw lakhs of devotees to Puri beginning July 16, Odisha Police have launched a major crackdown on a sprawling network of cybercriminals exploiting the festival rush through cloned hotel booking websites. The State Crime Branch has placed nearly 1,200 hotels under high alert and has already identified and blocked 238 fake websites and webpages linked to the scam.
An International Network Behind Local Fraud
Investigators have traced the technical infrastructure supporting these fraudulent portals to servers hosted or operated across eleven countries, including Romania, Brazil, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Ukraine, China, Thailand, the Philippines and Nigeria. Officials said the international spread of this infrastructure has made tracing the actual operators considerably harder, since obtaining data from foreign jurisdictions involves legal and procedural hurdles that can take months to resolve.
The fake websites are designed to closely mimic genuine hotel listings, often appearing ahead of authentic booking pages in search results. They lure pilgrims with discounted room rates, guaranteed bookings and attractive festival offers circulated through social media campaigns. Once a victim agrees to book, fraudsters push them toward advance payments through UPI, digital wallets or direct bank transfers.
After the money changes hands, the pattern typically follows one of two paths. Some fraudsters issue fake booking receipts before cutting off all contact, while others continue the deception through bogus customer care numbers to delay the victim’s realisation that no room actually exists. Police say the proceeds are then routed through bank accounts linked to cybercriminal networks operating across several Indian states, further complicating efforts to recover the funds.
A Pattern Building Over the Year
This is not an isolated pre-festival spike. Crime Branch data shows that between January 1 and June 30, 2026, authorities identified and disabled 212 fake hotel websites and 26 fraudulent webpages linked to Puri bookings. June alone accounted for 50 new fake websites and 26 fake webpages, suggesting the network has intensified its activity as the Rath Yatra approached. More than 40 victims have already filed formal complaints with the Crime Branch over fraudulent hotel bookings this year.
The scale of the problem reflects the sheer size of the festival itself. The Rath Yatra, which will run through late July with the deities’ return journey expected around July 24, routinely draws crowds exceeding several lakh people on the Grand Road alone, making Puri’s limited hotel inventory a prime target for exploitation during the peak booking window.
A Round-the-Clock Watch Through the Festival
To contain the threat through the festival period, a dedicated surveillance operation will run from July 10 to July 25, during which a special team will verify nearly 1,200 hotels in Puri around the clock. The exercise will also check whether fake websites are operating under the names of legitimate, established hotels on Google or other platforms. Roughly 350 hotels located near the beachfront, typically the most sought-after and therefore most impersonated properties, have been placed under priority monitoring.
Prof. Triveni Singh, a well-known cybercrime expert and former IPS officer, said cybercriminals routinely exploit the urgency and trust associated with religious events, festivals and peak travel seasons to lower victims’ guard. He advised travellers to book accommodation only through official hotel websites or trusted travel platforms, and to verify the website domain, SSL security certificate, contact details and customer reviews before making any payment. He also cautioned against transferring money through links received via social media or messaging apps, a method fraudsters frequently use to bypass more secure payment channels.
The Crime Branch has urged pilgrims to remain vigilant while booking hotels online and to immediately report any suspicious website, fake customer care number or booking fraud through the National Cyber Helpline 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, noting that prompt reporting significantly improves the chances of freezing fraudulent transactions before the money disappears.
