OYO caught red-handed committing fraud
and MMT threatens customer
Happy Wednesday!
Yep, the hospitality giant is in hot water, and this time, there’s proof.
From falsified data to shady practices, we’re unpacking what went down, who exposed it, and what it means for India’s startup scene.
Buckle up. This one’s messy.
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📌 Deep Dive
So, what has OYO been charged with? A resort in Jaipur has stirred up major trouble for OYO, the well-known hotel booking platform, and its founder, Ritesh Agarwal.
Samskara Resort has filed a police complaint, claiming that OYO faked bookings in their name, which ended up triggering a massive GST penalty of ₹2.66 crore.
Here’s the gist:
Samskara had a contract with OYO for just a year starting April 2019. In that time, they only received bookings worth ₹10.95 lakh.
But OYO reportedly showed a whopping ₹22.22 crore worth of business from the resort - including bookings during years when there wasn’t even an agreement in place.
This inflated data led to the GST department slapping the resort with a notice for unpaid taxes and penalties.The FIR, filed in Jaipur, names OYO (Oravel Stays Pvt Ltd), Ritesh Agarwal, and several others. They’ve been booked under serious charges, including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
And it doesn’t end there - according to the Hotel Federation of Rajasthan, Samskara might not be the only one. About 20 other hotels have reportedly faced similar issues with inflated GST bills allegedly linked to OYO.
Four years ago, the tension got so bad that 125 hotels put up signs saying they wouldn’t accept OYO bookings.
Influencer’s terrifying experience with Make My TripA spiritual visit to the Khatushyam Ji Temple in Rajasthan turned into a nightmare for influencer and tarot reader Naya Khullar.
In a viral Instagram video, she shared how a cab booked via MakeMyTrip (MMT) failed to show up on time - forcing her family to arrange another ride back to Delhi. But the situation took a disturbing turn when the original driver turned up later, demanded money, and allegedly started threatening them.
“MMT failed to ensure our safety! We are at Khatushyam Baba, and this is what happens when you book through MakeMyTrip,” Naya said in the video. “I’m in fear for the safety of my family and my life. If anything happens to us, MakeMyTrip will be responsible.”
She further explained, “He has been threatening us. We booked the driver for Rs 2000 at night, but he didn’t come on time. I have women and family travelling with me.”
The video triggered an outpouring of support and concern online, with one user commenting, “Worst service. Me and my family went through something similar—we never booked with them again.”
Another said, “Thanks for this video! I was just about to book with MMT. Cancelled it.”
MakeMyTrip later apologized and asked for details via DM, saying, “We understand your agony and regret the inconvenience. We’d like to investigate the issue at the earliest.”
Khullar later confirmed her family reached home safely, but slammed the company for its slow and ineffective customer service during the incident.
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See ya 👋
