A group of friends in Mumbai carried out a planned sting operation to expose an alleged dating app scam operating out of a cafe in Andheri East, leading to the arrest of eight people on March 13, Mid-Day reported. According to a report by the newspaper, the action followed an earlier incident in which one of their friends was cheated of Rs 15,000 in a similar setup.
The operation was reportedly initiated by Pankaj Yadav, a 38-year-old textile businessman, along with nine others.
According to the details accessed by Mid-Day, the group created fake profiles on Tinder to approach the suspected network. One of them matched with a woman identified as “Mahira,” who first contacted Yadav through the app. After initial conversations, she allegedly asked him to meet near Sakinaka Metro station and later took him to the same cafe where the earlier cheating incident had taken place.
During the meeting, the woman ordered around six tequila shots within 40 minutes. When the bill was checked, the amount had reached Rs 18,616. At this point, Yadav alerted DCP Datta Nalawade.
Acting on this signal, the Sakinaka police carried out a raid at Heaven Terrace 72 Cafe under the supervision of the officer, leading to multiple arrests.
According to the FIR accessed by Mid-Day, the alleged scam involved creating fake profiles of women on Tinder to attract men and invite them to the same cafe in Sakinaka, Andheri East. Once the victims arrived, they were allegedly pressured into ordering costly food and alcohol. The bills generated were said to be heavily inflated, and victims were then forced to pay the amount.
Yadav speaking to Mid-Day said the group decided to act after learning about the earlier cheating incident involving their friend. He also mentioned that their group runs an NGO that raises funds for medical treatment of poor patients, and they did not want others to fall into such traps.
He further alleged that victims who refused to pay were threatened by cafe staff and bouncers. They were reportedly warned that false sexual assault cases could be filed against them, forcing many to settle the bill and leave.
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According to the report, the police have registered a case under sections 316(4), 308(2), 352, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act. Officials stated that two to three more suspects are still absconding and further investigation is ongoing.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohsin Zayed Hussain Khan (28), Mayank Gulchand Katuria (20), Mayur Subhash Didole (27), Jatin Arun Kumar (22), Faizal Abdul Salam Ali (27), Deepak Haripal Das (26), Sahil Mahesh Kushwaha (19), and Rohit Vinod Kumar Sahu (23). Police said the main accused is Nitesh Ambaskar and suspect that several members of the group came from Delhi and nearby areas.
Explaining the purpose behind their actions, Yadav speaking to the newspaper stated, “we wanted to spread awareness about the scam so that others do not fall victim to it.”
Advocate Rishabh Mishra also shared a similar experience involving his friend. “On March 10, my friend matched with a woman on Tinder. She asked him to meet near Marol, later shared her contact details and location, and took him to the same club. Within 15-20 minutes, staff and bouncers forced him to pay around Rs 22,000,” he said. He added that he was preparing to file a complaint at the Sakinaka police station when he came to know about the raid.
The issue of such scams had been reported earlier as well. According to the Mid-Day report, sting operations conducted in 2024 had exposed similar frauds involving dating apps and certain clubs.
Speaking to Mid-Day about the case, DCP Datta Nalawade said, “During the raid based on reliable inputs, it was found that customers were brought to Heaven Terrace 72 Cafe through Tinder. At the cafe, women were served soft drinks while customers were given alcohol, and bills between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 were created. After the bill increased, the woman would leave on some excuse, and the staff would force the customer to pay, sometimes even threatening to inform their family if they refused. It was also found that the cafe was running without a valid licence.”
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