In a shocking revelation, Mumbai Police have busted a gang that lured men through dating apps and forced them to pay hefty bills at high-end hotels. The MHB police arrested 21 individuals, including seven women, in connection with the racket.
The gang targeted men looking for companionship on social media and dating apps like Tinder. The women involved would initiate contact, build a rapport, and invite the victims to meet at premium hotels. Once there, expensive drinks and hookahs were ordered, leading to inflated bills. Hotel staff, complicit in the scam, would then pressure the victims to clear the full amount.
The case came to light after a 26-year-old Santacruz resident filed a complaint. He met a woman named Disha Sharma (22) on Tinder, who later called him to Times Square Hotel on Borivali Link Road. After they ordered drinks and hookah, he was handed a bill of ₹35,000. When he protested, hotel staff threatened him and insisted on payment.
Sensing something amiss, he contacted the police. Responding swiftly, the police arrived, and the hotel reduced the bill to ₹30,000. The woman claimed she would pay half, and the victim transferred ₹15,000 via a QR code shown by a hotel staffer. She pretended to do the same but disappeared soon after.
Later, the man discovered that the money had been transferred not to the hotel, but to private accounts linked to Mohammad Talib and Akram Khan. Realising he had been conned, he lodged a complaint at MHB Police Station.
Police booked Disha Sharma, Talib, and Khan under various sections of the BNS for cheating and under the IT Act. Further investigation led to the arrest of 21 individuals, including seven women. According to police, the accused have duped several other victims in similar fashion, operating across multiple hotels in the city.