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On date, woman drugs man, robs his DLF Phase 4 house

The suspects stole the man’s iPhone worth ₹1.5 lakh, ₹10,000 cash, gold chains worth ₹90,000, and withdrew ₹2.68 lakh from an ATM with his debit card

Updated on: Oct 20, 2023, 05:22:12 IST
By , Gurugram
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A woman met a 35-year-old man on a date, laced his drinks with sedatives, causing him to pass out for 36 hours, and then robbed his DLF Phase 4 home with the help of two associates, police officers said, adding that the three suspects were arrested on Thursday.

The woman was identified as Surabhi Singh, 32, also known as Sakshi and Payal, a resident of Chawri Bazar in Delhi. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)
The woman was identified as Surabhi Singh, 32, also known as Sakshi and Payal, a resident of Chawri Bazar in Delhi. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The suspects stole the man’s iPhone worth ₹1.5 lakh, ₹10,000 cash in his wallet, two gold chains worth ₹90,000 from his house, and debit cards with which they withdrew ₹2.68 lakh from his bank account, said investigators.

The woman was identified as Surabhi Singh, 32, also known as Sakshi and Payal, a resident of Chawri Bazar in Delhi. “The woman is the mastermind of the crime. She has a master of business administration degree from a university in Pune, Maharashtra,” said Varun Dahiya, assistant commissioner of police (crime).

The woman’s associates were identified as Sushil Singh, 34, of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and Vishal Singh, 28, of Delhi. “The suspects confessed to the crime and have been remanded to our custody for five days. They are involved in at least nine similar cases in Gurugram and Noida,” ACP Dahiya added.

The police got on the track of the suspects after a 35-year-old man filed a complaint.

The complainant said he connected with Surabhi Singh on a dating app. According to a senior police officer associated with the case, the complainant picked up Surabhi in his car, a hatchback, from a pub in Sector 47 on October 1. He bought liquor at 10.30pm, drove to Golf Course Road, halting in a park in Sector 29, and the two started drinking together, according to the officer. However, Surabhi had secretly slipped a strong sedative into the man’s drink, the senior officer said.

After the man passed out, Surabhi stole his iPhone, cash, credit and debit cards, and house keys from his wallet, said the senior officer. She called her two associates and leaving the car at the scene, they went to the man’s house in Ridgewood Estate in DLF Phase 4. They stole two gold chains and then used one of the stolen debit cards to withdraw ₹2.68 lakh from an ATM the next day, said investigators.

According to investigators, the man, who had been passed out in his car, regained consciousness on October 3. When he realised his phone, cash, cards, and house keys were missing, and on asking passersby the time that it had been 36 hours since he had drinks with Surabhi, he rushed home to find the doors unlocked and the rooms in disarray.

The man then approached the police, and on October 10, a first information report was registered against Surabhi Singh at DLF police station in Sector 29 under sections 328 (causing hurt using poison) and 380 (theft from dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code.

The police tracked down the suspects through technical surveillance. None of the valuables or money stolen by the suspects has been recovered yet.

“The suspects had targeted many men after calling them to a pub/ restaurant in Gurugram’s Sector 29, lacing their drinks with sedatives, and then robbing them of their cash and valuables,” said ACP Dahiya.

According to the police, the suspects have robbed more than 12 men in this manner.

  • Leena Dhankhar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Leena Dhankhar

    Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More