As summer school holidays begin, families across Maharashtra are flocking to hill stations like Lonavala and Karjat — but not all holiday plans are going smoothly. Several tourists have fallen victim to a growing online scam involving fake accommodation and activity bookings.
The Cyber Cell of Oshiwara Police Station in Mumbai recently arrested 25-year-old Akash Rupkumar Jadhwani, a resident of Ghatkopar, for allegedly defrauding multiple tourists through a bogus online travel booking operation.
According to police, Jadhwani set up fake websites and social media accounts offering steep discounts on villas, homestays, and adventure packages, such as water sports. Victims were persuaded to pay in advance, only to later discover that no bookings had been made — and the scammer was untraceable.
“After receiving multiple complaints from stranded tourists, our team traced the financial transactions and digital footprint, which led us to Jadhwani in Pune,” a senior police officer said. “He has several fraud cases already registered against him across Mumbai.”
The Cyber Cell is now working to identify more victims and assess the total monetary loss, which is believed to be significant.
