Civil Service Aspirant Conned to Pay Rs 1.22 Lakh by Woman He Met on Tinder App

New Delhi: A civil service aspirant was conned of Rs 1,21,917.70 during a date he had with a woman he met on Tinder dating app.

The victim paid this huge bill at the Black Mirror Cafe in East Delhi’s Vikas Marg, where he celebrated the birthday of Versha, a woman he had matched with on “Tinder”.

At the cafe, the two ordered some snacks, two cakes, and four shots of a non-alcoholic beverage. Suddenly Versha rushed out citing a family emergency.

When the man called for the check, the bill stunned him as it was Rs 1,21,917.70 for food that should not cost more than a few thousand.

When the victim disputed the bill, he was threatened, confined, and forced to pay.

Once out of the cafe, he filed a complaint with the police. The police investigation led to the arrest of one Akshay Pahwa, one of the owners of the café. He confessed that Black Mirror cafe is owned by him, Ansh Grover, and Vansh Pahwa. Akshay and Vansh are cousins, while Ansh is their friend. Cops also tracked Parveen, the woman involved in the racket, who was found in another cafe on a “date” with a man from Mumbai she had met on Shaadi.com.

Parveen revealed their modus operandi to the police.

Once at the cafe, she used to feign a family emergency and rushed out as planned and her date was handed the exorbitant bill. Each player in the racket had a cut: 15% of the amount they charge these unsuspecting men went to Parveen, 45% is divided between the table and cafe managers, and the remaining 40% to the owners.

The “table managers” create fake profiles on these apps and lure men to the cafes where they are overcharged for food and drinks, the police said. If they refuse to pay, they are threatened, beaten, or kept in confinement until they comply.

Social stigma often prevents men from reporting such incidents, the police added.

The police arrested Parveen and Pahwa and seized their phones and the cafe’s register. The investigation is on and efforts are being made to arrest other accused.