The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has sought the crime branch’s intervention to arrest people involved in duping hundreds of people in the name of booking rooms in Bhakta Niwas at Puri.

The Bhakta Niwas is run by the SJTA.

It was found that some people had started fraudulent schemes involving a fake website that deceived people in the name of Bhakta Niwas.

Chief temple administrator SJTA Arabinda Kumar Padhee informed the crime branch that some fraudsters have opened fake websites to cheat devotees in the name of bookings at the Bhakta Niwas. Official sources said fake bank accounts have also been created in a nationalised bank for financial transactions related to accommodation bookings. The temple officials maintained that booking should be made only
through the temple’s authorised website: www.shreejagannath.in.

Sources said Padhee was forced to raise this issue with the crime branch and wanted “legal action” against the accused after the local Puri police failed to take action against those accused of duping the customers.

The Shree Jagannath Temple has Purushottam Bhakta Niwas, Niladri Bhakta Niwas, Shree Gundicha Bhakta Niwas and Nilachal Bhakta Niwas to provide accommodation to devotees coming to the pilgrim town. Nearly 500 hotels, lodging and other facilities are also available nearby.

Even the Puri hotel owners’ association has asked tourists to be cautious while booking rooms in different hotels.

President of Puri hotel owners association, Rama Krushna Das Mohapatra told The Telegraph, “This is not confined to Bhakta Niwas only. We are aware of the cybercrime. We have noticed that people from different states arrive here confident that their rooms are booked. When they arrive, they know they have been cheated and no rooms are booked against their names. Such harassment is regularly being reported. Sometimes, we help such tourists if rooms are available in any hotels affiliated with our organisations.”

Das Mohapatra said, “The hotels of Puri have a tie-up with prominent and reputed online booking agents. However, sometimes, cybercriminals take photos of the hotels, including inside rooms, and open a website stating that if tourists book through them, they will get huge discounts. People fall victim to it and ultimately lose money.”

Das Mohapatra claimed that they receive nearly 70 to 80 such complaints every month.