A 25-year-old man, Akash Rupkumar Jadhavani, was arrested on Sunday for allegedly cheating multiple people by advertising luxury villas on social media and collecting advance payments for bookings. Jadhavani, a habitual offender with at least 15 prior criminal cases, was produced before a Borivali judicial magistrate and remanded to police custody for four days.
The case surfaced following a complaint by Aditya Suryaprakash Toshniwal (28), a Goregaon resident employed at a private firm. Toshniwal was tasked with arranging accommodations for a two-day company picnic scheduled in Lonavala on August 15 and 16.
While searching online, Toshniwal came across a social media ad for a villa named La Rive. Upon contacting the number provided, a man identifying himself as Nishant Ahuja confirmed the villa’s availability and quoted a rent of Rs1.5 lakh for two days. After agreeing, Toshniwal transferred the amount to a bank account shared by the accused, along with GST details.
On August 14, Ahuja allegedly informed Toshniwal that the villa was unavailable due to repairs and assured him that the booking amount would be refunded within five to seven days. However, the money was never returned, and the phone number became unreachable.
Suspecting fraud, Toshniwal verified the GST number, only to discover it belonged to a different hotel chain, confirming he had been duped. He subsequently filed a complaint with Vanrai police.
Investigations traced the money trail, leading to Jadhavani’s arrest. Further probes revealed that he had allegedly carried out similar scams at multiple locations, cheating several people under the guise of villa bookings through social media. Police said the defrauded funds were used for lavish spending and expensive purchases.
