Hyderabad man loses over ₹2.42 lakh in cruise booking scam

A resident of Kachiguda in Hyderabad was cheated of ₹2.42 lakh in an online fraud involving a fake cruise booking and forged Lakshadweep permit letters, with the accused posing as customer care executives of a well known cruise service.

According to the complaint, the victim came across a website on December 26, 2025, while browsing on Google, which claimed to offer cruise journeys to Kochi, Lakshadweep and Mumbai. Believing the website to be genuine, he booked a cruise for four persons and paid an initial advance of ₹23,680.

As he was unable to transfer the amount in a single transaction, the accused instructed him to make multiple payments. He was later induced to pay additional amounts in several installments on the pretext of obtaining Lakshadweep permit letters, including charges for two children. The fraudsters repeatedly cited technical issues and assured the victim that the excess amounts would be refunded at the time of checkout, persuading him to transfer more money.

Subsequently, the accused falsely claimed payment failures and cancelled the booking without providing any valid reason. They then demanded ₹48,500 as cancellation charges, promising that the entire amount paid would be refunded thereafter. The victim was contacted through WhatsApp by individuals posing as customer care executives of Cordelia, and only later realised that he had been cheated.

Police said the victim suffered a total wrongful loss of ₹2,42,488 due to cheating and online fraud.

Cybercrime police have urged the public to exercise caution while booking cruise packages online. They advised that bookings should be made only through official websites or authorised travel agents and warned against websites that appear through search results or advertisements and seek advance payments in multiple installments. People have also been cautioned against making payments for permit letters, children charges or add-ons unless they are clearly mentioned in official booking confirmations.