As lakhs of devotees converged on Puri for Rath Yatra 2026, Odisha’s Crime Branch was running a quieter, parallel operation online — hunting down and shutting fake hotel booking sites before they could empty a pilgrim’s wallet.

In a significant cyber safety push timed to this year’s Rath Yatra, the Cyber Crime Unit of Odisha’s CID Crime Branch has blocked 121 fake hotel booking websites and 33 fraudulent hotel webpages, aiming to protect the lakhs of devotees travelling to Puri from online fraud. The preventive drive ran from June 1 to July 18, 2026, with officials continuously monitoring the digital space for fake booking portals, fraudulent travel websites, and misleading content aimed at pilgrims.

121Fake hotel booking websites blocked

33Fraudulent hotel webpages taken down

893Mobile numbers blocked

793IMEI numbers blocked

A Wider Digital Sweep

The action went beyond just hotel websites. As part of the same operation, the Cyber Crime Unit had 19 pieces of misleading online content related to Rath Yatra removed or blocked, cutting off another route scammers use to reach pilgrims through misinformation and fake appeals.

Working alongside telecom service providers, officials also blocked 893 mobile numbers and 793 IMEI numbers linked to a broader mix of offences — fake customer care scams, fraudulent hotel bookings, e-commerce fraud, and other cyber offences targeting people visiting for the festival.

How the Scam Typically Works

Fraudsters clone the websites of legitimate hotels or spin up convincing lookalike portals, often engineering them to rank prominently in search results. These fake pages advertise attractive room rates, VIP darshan packages, or “guaranteed” bookings, and pressure visitors into paying the full amount upfront via UPI or digital wallets. Fake customer care numbers and doctored payment receipts are used to make the transaction feel legitimate. Many victims only discover the fraud after arriving in Puri and finding no reservation exists in their name.

Building on Earlier Action

This latest tally builds on smaller waves of enforcement seen in the weeks leading up to the festival. In the nine days before Rath Yatra began on July 16, the Crime Branch’s cyber cell had already blocked 46 fake websites, with round-the-clock cyber patrolling put in place specifically to catch these portals before pilgrims could be defrauded by them. Odisha Police had also rolled out a “Cyber Sathi Vehicle” and visited hotels in Puri to sensitise owners and assess their websites for vulnerabilities ahead of the crowds.

Advisory for Pilgrims and Tourists

• Book hotels, guest houses and travel services only through official websites or verified applications.
• Avoid clicking on booking links sent via SMS, WhatsApp or social media.
• Verify a website’s authenticity and contact number independently before making any online payment.
• Be suspicious of unusually cheap darshan tickets, hotel rooms, or “special passes.”
• Never share OTPs, UPI PINs, or bank/card details with anyone, including callers claiming to be from customer support.
• Report suspicious websites or fraud attempts to the cyber crime helpline at 1930.

Officials say the sustained monitoring reflects Odisha Police’s broader effort to keep the digital side of one of India’s largest religious gatherings as secure as the physical crowd-management on the ground in Puri.