Ahmedabad Cafe Owner Duped of ₹29,505 in Fake Madhuvan Resort Scam

An online getaway booking turned into a financial nightmare for an Ahmedabad-based entrepreneur after fraudsters posing as representatives of the popular Madhuvan Resort in Anand allegedly swindled him out of ₹29,505.

Amit Ukeshbhai Bharodia (31), a resident of Ambawadi who operates Camilo Coffee on Sindhubhavan Road, filed a complaint after falling prey to a multi-stage cyber fraud scheme while attempting to arrange a family vacation. The Bodakdev Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the matter.

According to police sources, the incident unfolded on June 6 when Bharodia and his wife, Vidhi, were looking to book accommodation at the luxury resort. While browsing online, Vidhi stumbled upon a website that appeared to belong to the property. Seeking a quick reservation, they clicked a WhatsApp link embedded on the site, which connected them to an individual claiming to be the resort’s manager.

The scammer informed the couple that an advance payment was required to secure the reservation. However, instead of providing official resort banking credentials, the individual sent a personal QR code. When Bharodia raised doubts about using a private account, the fraudster claimed that all guest payments were routed through the manager's account before being consolidated into the resort’s official account at the end of the day.

Taking the explanation at face value, Bharodia transferred an initial payment of ₹7,375.

Escalating Demands and the "Data Mismatch" Trap

The fraud quickly escalated when two additional family members decided to join the trip. When Bharodia contacted the supposed manager to modify the reservation, the scammer claimed that modifying the headcount caused a "data mismatch" in their system. To resolve it, the imposter insisted the entire revised payment had to be processed again.

Trusting that the initial glitch would be resolved, Bharodia sent a second transfer of ₹12,295.

Exploiting the victim further, the fraudster reached out a third time, alleging that paying in separate installments had created yet another technical error. The scammer assured Bharodia that sending a final amount would trigger an automated refund for all previous failed transactions. Reluctantly complying, Bharodia transferred an additional ₹9,835.

In total, three transactions executed between 4.45 pm and 6.38 pm drained ₹29,505 from the couple. Of this, ₹9,835 was remitted from Bharodia’s HDFC Bank account, while ₹19,670 was transferred from his wife’s account at the same bank.

Dead Lines and the Cyber Crime Helpline

Silence followed the final transaction. When Bharodia repeatedly called for his booking confirmation and payment receipts, his attempts went unanswered before the suspect’s phone was switched off entirely.

Realizing something was wrong, Bharodia contacted Madhuvan Resort directly through its verified official channels. Hotel management confirmed that no reservation existed in his name and no payments had been received, verifying that the couple had been victimized by imposters operating a fake website.

Bharodia immediately reported the crime to the National Cyber Crime Helpline by dialing 1930 and logged an official online complaint. He later presented digital evidence to the Bodakdev Police Station to file a formal FIR.

Police confirmed that the unidentified suspect created a fraudulent identity, misrepresented themselves as resort management, and fraudulently induced the victim into making multiple electronic transfers. Investigators are currently tracing the fake website, WhatsApp logs, bank transaction details, and the QR code payment path to identify the perpetrators.