Mumbai Police have arrested a 21-year-old man from Rajasthan for his alleged involvement in a sophisticated online fraud that duped a woman of Rs 2.7 lakh through a fake resort booking scheme. The accused, identified as Samaydin Haroon Khan, was part of a racket that created counterfeit websites and impersonated staff of a popular resort to cheat unsuspecting victims.
Modus Operandi of the Fake Booking Scam
According to the police, the fraudsters operated between February 2 and April 4, 2025. The complainant, Mainab Kalkattawala, received multiple calls and WhatsApp messages from individuals posing as employees of Oleander Farms, a resort in Karjat. The callers, using a technique known as spoofing, convinced her to make advance bookings.
To execute the payment fraud, they directed her to transfer money through QR codes and online payment links. In a more invasive step, they allegedly gained remote access to her computer to facilitate the fraudulent transactions, ultimately siphoning off Rs 2.77 lakh. Investigation revealed that a landline number was illegally routed through a server to make VoIP calls, making it appear as the resort's legitimate contact number.
Technical Trail Leads to Arrest
Following a complaint, the Cyber Police cell used technical analysis to trace the origin of the calls. The digital trail led them to the Alwar and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan. The resort, Oleander Farms, confirmed to investigators that the contact number used and an individual named "Lalit Kumar", who was falsely presented as the manager, had no association with their legitimate business.
This is not the first offence for the arrested accused, Samaydin Haroon Khan. Police revealed that he was already arrested in a separate case involving the same fake resort website, which was active between August and September 2025. During interrogation, Khan claimed he received commissions from his associates Ashfaq, Mausam, and Shahabuddin, who are currently absconding.
Legal Action and Ongoing Probe
Khan has been booked under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66(c) and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. These sections pertain to cheating by personation and identity theft using computer resources.
Police have stated that further interrogation of the arrested accused is underway. The search for the other accomplices continues as authorities work to dismantle the entire network behind this online fraud. This case highlights the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals who use fake websites and social engineering to exploit victims.
The Mumbai Police have urged the public to exercise extreme caution when making online bookings. They advise directly verifying contact details through official sources, avoiding payments through unverified QR codes or links sent by unknown callers, and never granting remote access to personal devices.
