Free hotel stay for 5 months! How a Gurugram man used fake PhonePe app to make ₹6 lakh spoof payments

In an unusual instance of digital payment fraud, a man reportedly stayed in a hotel room in Gurugram district of Haryana for nearly five months without paying, allegedly using spoof payment screenshots totaling more than ₹6 lakh to mislead the hotel management.

The deception came to light when the hotel operator audited their bank statements and discovered that no funds had actually been deposited.

FIR registered, suspect arrested

Following this discovery, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at the Sector 53 police station, leading to the suspect's arrest by Gurugram Police.

Postgraduate fraudster

Authorities have identified the individual as 26-year-old Himanshu, a resident of Sohna. Ironically, the accused holds a postgraduate degree in computer applications and was reportedly employed to market a YouTube channel via the 'My Fame' application.

According to the official complaint by Tapish Kumar — who manages a hotel and service apartment on Golf Course Road in DLF Phase 5 — Himanshu had been a guest since October 2025. Between his arrival and February 24, the suspect presented 16 separate payment confirmations via WhatsApp to cover his lodging costs. However, investigators allege that every single transaction was fraudulent.

The complainant stated that the accused accumulated a total bill of ₹6.17 lakh, not a rupee of which was ever truly transferred.

"When we checked our firm's bank account, we found that no payment had been received. Himanshu was asked for his bank statement, but he refused to provide it and left the hotel on February 24," the complaint read.

Fake PhonePe App

Following the report, police apprehended Himanshu on Wednesday within DLF Phase 5.

During questioning, the suspect reportedly confessed to discovering a video on YouTube detailing a fraudulent version of the PhonePe app. The video demonstrated how to generate convincing fake payments that mimic successful credit alerts for receivers.

Police have seized the suspect's mobile device as part of the ongoing investigation.

"He installed the fake PhonePe application in which only the scanner works, while all other features are inactive. He stayed at the hotel from October 2025 to February 2026 and sent screenshots of 16 false transactions to the hotel manager and committed a fraud of over ₹6 lakh," a Gurugram Police spokesperson said.

After appearing in a city court on Thursday, the accused was remanded to judicial custody.

Comprehensive framework to curb UPI frauds sought

Recently, the Delhi High Court has sought a response on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the formulation of comprehensive guidelines and the creation of a strengthened regulatory and investigative framework to tackle the growing instances of fraud through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

The court issued notice to the Union of India through the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

The petition has been filed by Pankaj Nigam, a 61-year-old retired central government employee, through Advocates Nishchaya Nigam and C. Ankeeta Appanna.

The plea raises concerns regarding what it describes as serious gaps in the existing reporting, redressal and investigation mechanisms dealing with UPI-related financial frauds.

According to the petition, the petitioner himself fell victim to a UPI fraud on 15 February 2024, while searching for rental accommodation through property aggregation websites.