The Bangur Nagar police arrested six individuals, including two women, for allegedly cheating men through dating apps. The scam involved women luring men to the Godfather Hotel in Andheri West, where they ordered large amounts of food and drinks, leaving the men to pay exorbitant bills. The incidents were reported in the media, leading to the first case being filed at the Amboli police station.
Another case was filed by the Bangur Nagar police against the manager of Godfather Hotel, a woman, and others on September 4. The Bangur Nagar police then raided the Royal Inn Hotel in Goregaon West, where the accused were staying, and arrested them on Wednesday.
A Police Inspector stated, "We received information that a gang was active in Mumbai, luring men through a dating app and defrauding them. Based on this tip, we raided the Royal Inn Hotel and arrested the accused. All the accused are from Delhi, working in clubs or hotels as attendants, waiters, or in related jobs, and the gang was large, involving nearly 15 individuals, all in their 20s. They came to Mumbai specifically to operate this scam. The investigation revealed that around 15 individuals wee involved, and we are investigating how many members were part of this scam and their previous crimes. Meanwhile, Manager Pravin and a woman named Muskan, who were also involved in the scam, are currently wanted."
The accused were identified as Saral Kumar Singh, 18, Shahbaz Khan, 20, Ayush Chaudhary, 20, and Swapan Saini, 21. The police did not disclose the identities of the accused women. The four male accused were remanded until September 9, while the female accused were sent to judicial custody. Each accused received a particular percentage of the defrauded money. Other members of the gang have fled the city.
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On September 3, Pratik Tharwal, 26, filed a complaint with Bangur Nagar police regarding the dating app scam. On Wednesday, the police registered an FIR. According to the FIR, Tharwal, a resident of Goregaon and an LIC agent, created his profile on the 'Wild' app and connected with a girl named 'Muskan' through the app on September 3. The next day they met in Andheri West around 5 p.m. Muskan took him to the Godfather Club near Pizza Express.
Muskan placed an order that included five pegs of W Blue drink (60 ml each), two Red Bulls, mineral water, a cold drink, hookah, and a pizza. Tharwal noticed that the drinks didn't seem genuine, and even after drinking three pegs, Muskan appeared unaffected. He observed that she communicated with the hotel staff using hand signals. A waiter was presented with a bill of Rs.39,241. Tharwal told Muskan that he did not have enough money and requested that they split the bill, to which she agreed. However, she pretended to receive a phone call and left the hotel without paying her share. When he tried to call her, she did not respond.
Realising that he had been scammed, Tharwal confronted the manager, Pravin, but was forced to pay the bill. He transferred Rs.35,000 online. The hotel staff then threatened him with assault and forcibly took the remaining amount from his pocket. Later, he checked the bill and discovered that the date on it was from a previous day, confirming that he had been cheated. He then approached the police, who filed a case against Muskan, manager Pravin, and others under Sections 3(5) (general explanation), 308(3) (extortion), and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
