India, July 5 -- A 69-year-old man from Tamil Nadu, identified as Bingson John, has been arrested in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, ending what police describe as one of India's longest-running hotel fraud operations. According to Raipur Police, he targeted more than 300 luxury hotels across the country since around 1990, spanning 36 years.

The latest complaint came from the Hyatt Hotel in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. John allegedly checked in on June 25, 2026, used the five-star facilities, and left on the morning of June 27 without settling his bill of Rs 63,755. He also took a laptop worth around Rs 1.48 lakh that the hotel had provided. The stolen laptop was later recovered from him.

His modus operandi involved charm and false identities. During int...