1 2 3 4 Mumbai: For nine days, a senior executive with a multinational company confined himself to different five-star hotels in the city, cutting off all contact with his family and friends. He was taking instructions—over Skype and WhatsApp video calls—from two men who claimed to be crime branch officers. The men spun an elaborate web of lies, accusing the executive of money laundering and human trafficking, complete with fake legal documents.
At the end of nine days, he became a nervous wreck and was coerced into handing over a staggering Rs 2 crore to the scammers. This incident is part of a disturbing new trend where scammers are employing the tactic of " hotel detentions " to deceive and defraud unsuspecting victims. By isolating their victims in hotels, they can ensure complete control and minimise the chances of intervention from loved ones.
This marks a significant upgrade from earlier methods, where victims were confined to their own homes. The executive's ordeal began with a phone call claiming his couriered parcel had been intercepted by the parcel department. He tried to explain that he hadn't sent any parcel, but the caller claimed that his Aadhaar number was linked to the parcel.
Despite his explanations, he was connected to one inspector Vikram Singh "from the crime branch"—who he later learned was a conman. Singh made a video call to the executive, dressed in khaki uniform. He was later joined by "a colleague", Vineet Rathi.
Accusing the executive of mo.