A man trying to book a stay at a luxury spa resort in Goa lost Rs 33,000 to a scammer pretending to be a staff member from The LaLiT hotel group. The Delhi Police have now uncovered a hotel booking scam that targets people searching for high-end stays. As reported by The Times of India, 25-year-old Sharukh Khan, the accused, was arrested in Nuh, Haryana. He allegedly created fake hotel websites that looked just like real luxury hotel pages to trick people into paying him. The victim, a man from Delhi, thought he was booking a room at the LaLiT Golf & Spa Resort in Goa. But after transferring Rs 33,000, he realised he had been cheated. According to The Indian Express, the man was asked to pay the full amount through a UPI-based QR code and was told that split transactions weren’t allowed. A police officer mentioned this to the publication. Once the man reported the fraud, police followed digital clues and money trails. They gathered enough proof to arrest Khan. Sharukh Khan made fake websites that copied real luxury hotels using similar pictures, logos and attractive offers to fool people. The police said the money was sent through a merchant bank account, and the fake websites were made using false details. One such site – https://thelalitxxlgrxxort.in – was designed to look like the real website of The LaLiT Golf & Spa Resort in Goa. TOI also reported that Khan promoted these fake hotel pages online with big discounts to draw in more victims. Once someone tried to book, he pretended to be a hotel employee and convinced them to send money. He tricked people even further by sending fake booking confirmations via email and SMS. These messages included hotel logos and well-written content to look real. “To add credibility, he accepted payments via UPI QR codes, making the transactions appear legitimate. After receiving the money, he would cut off all contact, leaving victims without bookings or refunds,” a senior police officer told the news portal. “The team, led by Inspector Pravesh Kaushik, worked tirelessly to track down Khan, using technical surveillance and digital analysis to identify his location. Finally, after several raids, Khan was arrested in Mewat, Haryana, and two mobile phones used in the crime were recovered from his possession,” DCP (Southwest) Amit Goel informed the publication. Police found that Khan ran the scam by himself, but had help building the fake websites. His partner, Naseem, is on the run, and police are now trying to find and arrest him.