Hooked by fake dating profiles, many fleeced through inflated bills at bar

New Delhi: Four men were arrested for allegedly duping people by creating fake profiles of girls on dating applications. They would then contact young men, posing as girls, invite them to bars, and fleece them by generating inflated bills.Bar staffers, in connivance with the gang, would arrange for the girls to meet the targets. After they ordered items from the bar, the accused would generate inflated bills, forcing the men to pay excessive amounts.The accused were identified as Rajender (30), Kuldeep (39), Ashish (21) and Deepak (24). Police received information on March 8 about people being cheated through dating apps at a bar in a mall in Anand Vihar. Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Prashant Priya Gautam formed a team to investigate the matter.Upon reaching Cross River Mall, the informant led the team to the bar on the ground floor, where he discreetly pointed at four men standing outside as those allegedly involved in the fraudulent activities via dating apps. After verifying the information, the police team let him leave, and arrested the four men.Police seized multiple mobile phones. Upon checking the devices, it was found that each phone had at least five dating applications, which were allegedly used to execute their plans. The accused admitted to being part of an organised scam in which they created fake female profiles on dating apps to lure men to bars and clubs."Once a target arrived at the designated location, he was forced to order expensive food and drinks while they stayed unaware that they were being scammed. The accused would then collaborate with the club management to generate inflated bills, forcing the victims to pay excessive amounts," police said. The accused received Rs 3,000 per case from each club, which also arranged the girls.Based on the evidence recovered and the confessions of the accused, all mobile phones were seized as case property. A case was registered at Anand Vihar railway police station for further legal proceedings. "The investigation is now underway to uncover potential links to other individuals or establishments involved in this fraudulent operation and ensure that strict legal action is taken against all culprits," police said.According to police, there have been many such cases in which after chatting online for a few days, an unsuspecting man is lured to a club, where he meets a girl who orders snacks or drinks and leaves abruptly, claiming an emergency. The boy is then presented with an inflated bill. In one reported case in June 2024, a civil services aspirant met a woman on a dating app. She invited him to celebrate her birthday at a new cafe on Vikas Marg. When they met, they only had some snacks, cakes, fruit wine and other drinks, before the woman suddenly left after receiving an "emergency call". The youth was shocked to receive a bill of Rs 1.22 lakh. He was then confined and beaten up in a cabin and forced to pay the exorbitant amount, police said.
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