Hyderabad Police Probe Fake Cruise Booking That Cost Resident ₹2.42 Lakh

Overview

• The Kachiguda resident found a website on December 26 advertising cruises to Kochi, Lakshadweep and Mumbai and paid an initial ₹23,680 for four tickets.
• Fraudsters contacted him on WhatsApp posing as customer care executives and pushed multiple transfers by citing technical issues with promises of refunds.
• He was told to pay for Lakshadweep permit letters and children’s charges, then faced a fabricated payment failure and a ₹48,500 cancellation fee demand.
• The total wrongful loss reached ₹2,42,488, according to a police release confirming the registration of a cybercrime case and an ongoing investigation.
• Authorities advised using only official websites or authorised agents, avoiding WhatsApp numbers, refusing add‑on payments not in confirmations, and reporting incidents via 1930 or the national portal; some reports say Cordelia was the brand impersonated.