How a man stayed in a five-star hotel for nearly two years without paying

A man allegedly booked a room for one night at a luxury hotel, but extended his stay for 603 days without paying.

A man allegedly stayed at a five-star hotel in India for almost two years without paying. Source: Supplied / Roseate House

Key Points

• A man allegedly booked a one-night stay at a luxury hotel in Delhi, but stayed for almost two years without paying.
• Police are investigating whether he bribed staff to fix records so he could stay for free.
• Managers at the Roseate Hotel also reportedly filed a police complaint against several employees.

A suspected fraudster in India allegedly spent nearly two years in New Delhi's "best five-star hotel" without making any payments.

Ankush Dutta allegedly booked a room for one night at the Roseate House hotel before slipping away 603 days later leaving an unpaid bill of US$70,000 (A$104,821) police said.

They are investigating whether he bribed staff to fix records so he could stay for free.

Mr Dutta checked into the hotel on 30 May 2019 and was supposed to check out the next day.

He did not leave until 22 January 2021.

Police are investigating whether a man bribed hotel staff to "fix" records so he would not have to pay his bill. Source: Supplied / Roseate House

"Accounts were falsified to conceal the actual outstanding dues," the police complaint read, quoted by the Indian Express newspaper.

Hotel managers also filed a police complaint against several employees for conspiracy, forgery and cheating, with officials saying they suspected staff members were bribed to manipulate in-house software systems.

The hotel describes itself as a "contemporary upscale hotel" offering "bespoke luxury".

It is located 30 minutes from the corporate hubs of Gurugram and Delhi and 4.5 kilometres away from the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Roseate House officials could not immediately be reached for comment.