CHENNAI

From luxurious hotel to jail in two days, three ‘private firm executives’ in trouble

The three drank expensive alcohol, ate good food, raising a bill to the tune of Rs 25,000

Published: 22nd December 2022 06:53 AM | Last Updated: 22nd December 2022 06:53 AM

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The best things in life are free, right? S Sivaraman (31) from Maraimalai Nagar, J Venkat (37) from Peerkankaranai and S Srinath (37) from Urapakkam, sure thought so. They posed as executives of a private company and stayed at a luxury hotel in the city suburbs for two days and racked up a bill of Rs 25,038, which their company was to pay, but there was no such company.

It all began with an e-mail to the hotel on Saturday evening. The mail said three executives of a (fake) company would stay at the hotel. The e-mail also said the company would settle the bill at the end of the stay. As planned, Sivaraman, Venkat and Srinath arrived at the luxury hotel in Kilambakkam near Urapakkam on Sunday afternoon. The three men drank expensive alcohol and ate good food, said the police. At the end of their stay, the bill was Rs 25,038.

When the hotel management presented the bill, the men claimed that the company promised to take care of the expenses and an e-mail was sent to the hotel in this regard. Hotel manager T Richard (42), who found the men suspicious, asked them to wait and tried to respond to the e-mail and contact the mobile number, but to no avail.

Finding their act suspicious, Richard informed the police and stalled them. Meanwhile, the three men who grew impatient threatened Richard and allegedly hit him. Guduvanchery police reached the spot and arrested the three men.

After a preliminary investigation, police found out that the trio had tried to con the hotel management with a fake company name and fraudulent e-mail id. They were booked on charges of cheating, breach of trust, criminal intimidation and causing hurt. They were remanded in judicial custody after being produced in court.