Woman lures realtor on dating app, robs him of ₹1L

Pune: A 37-year-old realtor from Ghorpadi addicted to a dating app was attacked and robbed of cash and valuables collectively worth Rs 1.15 lakh by a woman and her friend.
The incident happened in a four-star hotel at Kharadi between 10.30pm and 1.30am on October 25. the victim He sustained injuries to his face and left leg.

The relator, a bachelor and college dropout, comes from a well-to-do family.
Sub-inspector Arvind Kumre of the Chandannagar police on Saturday said, “The realtor told the police he downloaded a dating app on October 24 and started talking to the woman. He also started chatting with her on a social networking site and invited her to a hotel. He paid Rs 5,500 to book a room after the woman expressed her willingness to meet him.”
Kumre said, “The woman visited the realtor in the hotel and was chatting with him when a man arrived. She introduced the man as a friend. The duo then attacked the victim and the man snatched the realtor's smart phone. They forced him to reveal the pin number. The man then transferred Rs 20,000 from the victim’s bank account to an e-wallet. He also robbed his goggles worth Rs 50,000. The woman snatched the victim’s car keys and Rs 40,000 before fleeing on a scooter.”
“CCTV footage at the hotel has captured images of two people on a scooter before and after the robbery. We are analyzing the footage to establish their identity,” he said.
On the progress in investigations, the officer said, “We have sent an email to the victim’s bank to share details of the transactions done. We have also contacted the dating app and social media site to share details of the communications and messages exchanged between the realtor and woman. After receiving these details, we will be planning out the further course of action.”
“The victim shared information of the robbery soon after the incident, but we first referred him to Sassoon general hospital for a medical examination. We later registered his complaint on October 26 relating to armed robbery, criminal intimidation and intent under sections 394, 506 and 34 of Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act,” he added.
The realtor told TOI, “The incident is a honey trap as a heavy built guy looking like a wrestler thrashed me and hit me with a bottle on my face while the woman attacked me with a cup. I was attacked for nearly 45 minutes. I resisted the man and tried to run out of the room but he caught my leg and twisted it so I could not escape.”
He added, “The duo tore my clothes, abused and threatened to kill me if I did not meet their demands while the woman threatened to register a rape case against me. They took to heels after damaging the room key. I rushed out limping and took the help of a guest to reach downstairs and called my brother and the police for help.”
“I downloaded the dating app to meet a woman for casual friendship. The hotel allowed a third person to walk into my room and they should take responsibility for the incident,” he said.
When TOI contacted the hotel, an official sought time to get back with their comments on the issue , but there was no official response at the time of going to press.