Tourists duped by fake hotel websites in Digha; Police confirm rising scams

Kolkata resident Chitrakshi Chakraborty booked a hotel in Digha through a website, but upon reaching the location, she was informed that no reservation had been made in her name. The hotel confirmed that it had not received any payment. Realizing she had been deceived, Chitrakshi lodged complaints at both the Digha Coastal Police Station and the district cyber crime police station.

During the investigation, police found that the incident was not isolated. Several tourists had reported similar experiences of being duped through fake websites that imitated the names and appearances of well-known Digha hotels. Chitrakshi informed the police that a person identifying himself as Raghvendra Singh had spoken to her on the phone, posing as a hotel manager during the booking process.

The number of tourists in Digha has increased after the construction of the Jagannath Temple, resulting in higher hotel prices. To manage crowding and control room tariffs, the state administration issued specific guidelines before the Rath Yatra. Meanwhile, local traders expressed concern that such fraud cases could impact the tourist experience in the area.

Hotel associations in Digha acknowledged the issue and warned tourists about fraudulent websites. Bipradas Chakraborty, Joint Secretary of the Digha Shankarpur Hoteliers Association, advised, "If you call the hotel directly and confirm the booking instead of using the number provided on travel sites, there is no risk of fraud." DSP (D&T) Abunur Hussain stated, "Such incidents have occurred in the past as well."