Mundakkayam East: Chetta … Porota and Dosha 100 each, Eggs 30, 25 tea, get to the army camp tomorrow morning. They will next ‘order’ your ATM card and bank account details. Ibrahimkutty, the owner of the Arafa Hotel in Peruvanthanam, escaped the scam and lodged a complaint with the police. Vikram Waghmare, an Army liqueur card maker, has been linked to a number of Delhi-based scams.
On the evening of the 29th, a man called the hotel owner’s from the Army camp. It started with the question ‘Isn’t Arafa Hotel’ in a mixture of Hindi and Malayalam. I have a CISF camp near you, I need some food and I can order it on WhatsApp. The order arrived on WhatsApp shortly after. And a photo of the identity card to indicate that you are a soldier. It should be paid at 9.30 am on the 30th. After the meal was made, the hotel owner called and asked for a photo of the ATM card to send the money.
But the hotel owner was not ready to pay it. He also asked for bank details but could not provide them as he felt it was a scam. Then again the next requirement is to send Rs.1000 to the account and repay the bill along with the amount. The phone rang after he said that he could not do that either. Called later and there was no response. The hotel owner lodged a complaint with the police. Since 2018, there have been several scams in Delhi using the Army ID card sent by him to the hotel owner. With the spread of this on social media, there are indications that the gang has shifted the scam to Kerala. It is unknown at this time what he did to cause the fire. Police say hoteliers and traders need to be vigilant.
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