Bhubaneswar: Luck finally ran out for 69-year-old Bingson John after the police arrested him from Bhubaneswar in Odisha for allegedly defrauding more than 300 luxury hotels across India over the past 36 years.
The man from Tamil Nadu is claimed to have told investigators that he drew inspiration from notorious serial killer Charles Sobhraj and adopted similar methods of deception.
John allegedly posed as a foreign tour guide, English teacher or yoga instructor to gain the confidence of hotel staff. After checking into premium hotels and availing luxury services, he would allegedly leave without paying his bills and, in some cases, steal hotel property, investigators said.
The arrest was made after a complaint was filed by the Hyatt Hotel in Raipur, according to The Tribune.
In the complaint, the hotel claimed that John checked into the hotel on June 25 and left on the morning of June 27 without completing the checkout
formalities. He allegedly failed to pay an outstanding bill of Rs 63,755 and also took away a laptop worth around Rs 1.48 lakh that had been provided to him on request.
The hotel management approached the Telibandha Police Station after repeated attempts to contact him failed, . A case was registered under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the investigation was carried out jointly by the Anti-Crime and Cyber Unit and the Telibandha police.
Investigators used technical analysis of the documents and mobile numbers allegedly provided by the accused to trace him to Bhubaneswar, where he was arrested.
John allegedly told investigators during investigation that he had been influenced by Charles Sobhraj, who was known for deceiving victims using false identities. Police said the accused claimed he adopted similar tactics, frequently changing professions and identities to gain the trust of hotel staff.
He allegedly admitted to targeting more than 300 luxury hotels across India since 1990, the police said.
Cases have been registered against him in several metropolitan cities across more than 10 states, officials said. The police also claimed that John had spent over 15 years in various prisons, including Tihar Jail, where he reportedly came into contact with several notorious criminals.
The laptop allegedly stolen from the Raipur hotel has been recovered from the accused’s possession, the police said.
Further investigation is underway to verify the full extent of the alleged fraud and identify other cases linked to the accused.