Police hunt man who posed as UAE royalty employee and stayed at luxury hotel for months

Police hunt man who posed as UAE royalty employee and stayed at luxury hotel for months
Mohammad Sharif allegedly posed as an employee of the Abu Dhabi royal family to stay at the luxurious Leela Palace hotel in New Delhi for four months, before vanishing without paying the bill.
2 min read
18 January, 2023
The Leela Palace Hotel is a 5-star hotel in New Delhi [Parveen Negi/The India Today Group via Getty Images]

A man posing as an employee of Abu Dhabi's royal family stayed at a luxury hotel in New Delhi, India for four months before allegedly vanishing without paying his hefty bill. 

Mohammad Sharif is accused of staying at the Leela Palace Hotel, racking up a bill of more than $43,000 (Rs 3,500,000).

Delhi police said he paid roughly $14,000 on the day he fled the hotel, leaving the remaining $29,000 unpaid. 

Officers are searching for Sharif, who has been charged with theft and fraud based on a complaint filed by the hotel on Saturday. 

The Leela Palace in New Delhi is a 5-star hotel that frequently welcomes celebrities, politicians and international dignitaries. 

Sharif checked into the Leela Palace hotel in August, telling staff he was a resident of the UAE and worked closely with Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, and was in India on official business. 

He even produced a UAE resident card, a business card, and other documents to corroborate his story, according to Indian media. 

He is accused of giving staff a cheque that covered a fraction of the entire bill before vanishing on 20 November.