When a civil service aspirant swiped right on a dating app, he unknowingly entered a sinister plot aimed at scamming men seeking romance.
On Sunday, the victim, whose identity was withheld by the police, visited the Black Mirror Cafe in East Delhi’s Vikas Marg area to celebrate the birthday of Versha, a woman he recently connected with on Tinder.
The pair ordered four shots of a non-alcoholic beverage, two cakes, and some appetizers at the cafe.
The situation took a turn when Versha abruptly left, citing a family emergency. The customer was stunned to receive a bill totaling an exorbitant ₹1,21,917.70, far exceeding what should have been a bill of just a few thousand rupees.
Despite immediately contesting the bill, the victim found himself restrained, threatened, and coerced into paying. Ultimately, he transferred the money to Akshay Pahwa, a 32-year-old co-owner of the cafe who resides in Shahdara, East Delhi and had only completed Class 10 studies.
After leaving the cafe, the victim immediately reported the incident to the police and filed a complaint.
Inspector Sanjay Gupta assembled a four-member police team to investigate the case, leading to the swift apprehension of Mr. Pahwa.
During questioning, Mr. Pahwa disclosed that he, along with Ansh Grover and Vansh Pahwa (who are cousins), co-owns the Black Mirror Cafe. Ansh is a friend of theirs. The cafe employs several “table managers,” including Aryan, who is a Class 7 dropout currently unemployed and supervised by Digranshu.
Mr. Pahwa also revealed that Versha was actually 25-year-old Afsan Parveen, who also goes by the names Ayesha and Noor. The police tracked down Ms. Parveen at another cafe, where she was on a date with a man from Mumbai she had met on Shaadi.com.
Ms. Parveen detailed their method of operation to the police. Aryan had posed as Versha, sharing Ms. Parveen’s photo in a one-time view mode and inviting the victim to Laxmi Nagar on June 23 under the pretext of celebrating her birthday.
At the cafe, Ms. Parveen staged a sudden family emergency and departed as planned, leaving her date to foot the bill.
Each participant in the scam receives a cut: Ms. Parveen takes 15% of the extorted amount, while 45% is divided among the table and cafe managers, with the remaining 40% going to the owners.
According to police reports, such schemes are widespread in major metropolitan areas like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. These elaborate operations thrive on coordinated collaboration among cafe owners, managers, and individuals who target specific men on dating apps.
The “table managers” create fictitious profiles on these apps to lure men to their establishments, where they are then overcharged for food and beverages. Non-compliance often results in threats, physical violence, or confinement until payment is made.
Law enforcement noted that societal stigma frequently deters men from reporting these incidents.
Following the arrests of Ms. Parveen and Mr. Pahwa, authorities seized their phones and the cafe’s register. The investigation remains ongoing, with efforts underway to apprehend additional suspects involved in the scam.