Delhi cafe owner, aide held for dating app fraud

New DelhiA 38-year-old owner of a cafe on Hudson Lane and his aide have been arrested for allegedly extorting around ₹26,000 from a man who was lured to the cafe by a woman he met on a dating app, police said on Wednesday, suspecting the duo of colluding with a group of women to make a quick buck

New Delhi

Investigators are probing whether multiple women operated several profiles on dating apps to bring customers to establishments where they were allegedly pressured into paying inflated bills. (Representative photo)

A 38-year-old owner of a cafe on Hudson Lane and his aide have been arrested for allegedly extorting around ₹26,000 from a man who was lured to the cafe by a woman he met on a dating app, police said on Wednesday, suspecting the duo of colluding with a group of women to make a quick buck.

Police said similar cases have surfaced in the past from the cafe, but victims chose not to report them due to social stigma.

According to details shared by the police, complainant Zaid Ahmad was invited to the cafe by a woman who identified herself as Sanya on a dating app on November 1. They reportedly met near the GTB Nagar Metro station around 6.30pm, and then visited the cafe at Hudson Lane in Mukherjee Nagar.

As per the complaint, the woman reportedly ordered food and drinks, for which a bill of ₹26,000 was presented. When questioned, the cafe owner and three others reportedly threatened him, preventing him from leaving without making the payment.

“The complainant contacted his father, who transferred the money online. After the initial payment attempts failed, another QR code was provided, through which the amount was transferred. The complainant was allowed to leave only after the payment,” deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Akanksha Yadav said.

An FIR under sections 308(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Mukherjee Nagar police station. Police are now trying to trace the woman, identified as Sanya alias Nikita, and ascertain the involvement of others.

Investigators are also probing whether multiple women operated several profiles on dating apps to bring customers to establishments where they were allegedly pressured into paying inflated bills.