Tinder Date Gone Wrong: Man scammed into paying Rs 1.2 lakh bill at Delhi cafe
PTC News Desk: The candidate for civil service had no notion that he was entering a dark and well-planned scheme to con single men when he right- swiped on a dating app.
In order to celebrate Versha's birthday—a woman he had recently matched with on "Tinder"—the victim, who has not been identified by the police, went to the Black Mirror Cafe on Sunday in the Vikas Marg neighborhood of East Delhi.
The two placed an order for four shots of a non-alcoholic beverage, two cakes, and some appetizers at the cafe.
Everything was going great on the "date" until Versha had to leave quickly because of a family emergency.The customer was shocked to see the bill after he finished his meal and asked for the check—he owing the cafe an outrageous ₹ 1,21,917.70 for meals that shouldn't have cost more than a few thousand.
The victim immediately objected to the bill, but he was restrained, threatened, and made to pay. In the end, the man sent the money to 32-year-old Akshay Pahwa, one of the cafe's owners, via an internet transfer. Mr. Pahwa, who was educated up till Class 10, lives in Shahdara, East Delhi.
He went immediately to the police and made a report after leaving the cafe. In order to investigate the matter, the police assembled a team of four people under the direction of Inspector Sanjay Gupta. Mr. Pahwa was soon under police custody.
He disclosed to the authorities that he, Ansh Grover, and Vansh Pahwa are the owners of the Black Mirror cafe during the course of the investigation. Ansh is the friend of Akshay and Vansh, who are cousins. Aryan is one of the "table managers" that work at the cafe; according to him, Digranshu oversees all of the "table managers." Aryan dropped out of Class 7 and is unemployed right now.
Afsan Parveen, a 25-year-old who also goes by the names Ayesha and Noor, was also given up by Mr. Pahwa. Ms. Parveen was at another cafe going on a "date" with a Mumbai man she met on Shaadi.com when the police found her.
Ms. Parveen told the police how they operated.Aryan had made contact with the victim and conversed with him under the guise of Versha. He sent him a picture of Ms. Parveen in one-time view and extended an invitation to come to Laxmi Nagar on June 23 to celebrate her birthday.
After arriving at the cafe, Ms. Parveen pretended to have a family emergency and left promptly, leaving her date to accept the bill. Each participant receives a portion of the money they charge these gullible men: Ms. Parveen receives 15%, the table and café management split 45%, and the owners receive the remaining 40%.
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According to the authorities, there are numerous such schemes operating in major metropolises like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad with the aim of extorting money from unsuspecting victims.
They said that these intricate schemes are supported by a well-functioning cooperation mechanism involving managers, cafe owners, and other individuals who right-swipe on the "right" men on dating apps.
According to the authorities, the "table managers" fabricate profiles on these apps in order to entice men to the cafés where they are overcharged for beverages and meals. They are beaten, threatened, or imprisoned until they pay if they don't want to.
The police noted that social shame frequently keeps men from reporting these kinds of incidents.
Along with seizing the cafe's register and Ms. Parveen and Mr. Pahwa's phones, the police also arrested them. According to the police, the investigation is ongoing and efforts are being made to apprehend further suspects.
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- With inputs from agencies
