A 63-year-old man who allegedly cheated hundreds of upscale hotels across the country by slipping away without paying bills has been arrested from a Thane hotel. Vincent John, who hails from Tamil Nadu, would check in, enjoy a luxurious stay, wine and dine, and just leave without a trace. Heaping insult upon injury, he would carry away hotel property, including laptops.
According to Vashi cops, who arrested the “suave” John on Tuesday, 187 such offences by him across the country have come to light. “This is not his first arrest, though the previous came years ago. He has served prison terms at Tihar and in Mumbai too,” said an officer.
Vashi police had registered a case of cheating, criminal breach of trust and theft on a complaint by Tunga Hotel, Vashi, where John stayed in a suite from December 12-14. He claimed to be a businessman and “spoke English fluently”, which is why the hotel’s manager did not ask for advance payment, said DCP Suresh Mengade. John ordered expensive liquor and cigarettes through room service and even took a hotel laptop on the grounds that he needed it for a business meeting , the officer said.
“He even booked the hotel’s banquet room, along with catering service. After the hotel realised that he had fled without footing the bill, they filed an FIR on December 14.”
John was arrested from a lodge on Ghodbunder Road, Thane, on Tuesday with the help of “technical expertise”, said senior inspector Sanjeev Dhumal. During questioning, John told the police he would order expensive liquor and cigarettes so that he could sell them for meeting his daily expenses and also pay airfare.
“The laptop he had ‘borrowed’ from the Tunga Hotel manager has been recovered. He has used at least 11 names while booking suites at star hotels in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat,” Dhumal said.
John’s earlier arrests included one in Delhi for failing to clear bills of Rs 50,000 and for stealing a laptop at the Radisson, and another in Kochi for cheating Le Meridien. Around the same time, there was a similar case in Kerala where a Mumbai man duped several hotels: Jogeshwari resident Kamarudheen Sheikh (47) was held by Ernakulam rural police in 2017 after his image was circulated.
Conviction within 3 days of arrest
In probably the fastest trial in a criminal case, Vincent John has been convicted within three days of his arrest.
The Vashi JMFC court on Friday sentenced the accused John to six months of simple imprisonment and imposed a penalty of Rs 2,000.