Imagine staying in a hotel for 603 nights for free? This guy did and almost got away with it

NEW DELHI - Indian police are investigating a suspected fraudster who spent nearly two years in a five-star hotel without paying after reportedly bribing staff to fix records, local media said on Thursday.

Ankush Dutta booked a room at Roseate House hotel in New Delhi on May 30, 2019 and was supposed to check out the next day.

But he extended his stay for 603 nights until he left out on January 22, 2021, leaving behind unpaid bills of $70,000 (about R1.4m).

"Accounts were falsified to conceal the actual outstanding dues," the police complaint read, quoted by the Indian Express newspaper.

Hotel managers also filed a police complaint against several employees for conspiracy, forgery and cheating, with officials saying they suspected staff members were bribed to manipulate in-house software systems.

According to DNA India, because of Dutta’s outstanding bill, the hotel had reported a huge financial loss.

"A criminal conspiracy was hatched by guest Mr Ankush Dutta along with some known and unknown hotel staff, including Mr Prem Prakash, with a motive to gain wrongfully and deprive the hotel of its rightful dues,” FIR reported.

The hotel also claimed that Prakash used a variety of strategies to allow Dutta's extended stay, including tampering with accounts to indicate that other visitors had made payments on his behalf.

Roseate House officials could not immediately be reached for comment.