Man Scammed Out Of Rs 1.2 Lakh In Delhi After Tinder Date Turns Costly

A man's quest for a date in Delhi led to a costly scam, resulting in a loss of over Rs 1.2 lakh. An aspiring civil service candidate matched with a woman named Varsha on the dating app Tinder and arranged to meet her.

He planned a celebration for her birthday at the Black Mirror Cafe on Vikas Marg on June 23.

Upon arrival, the couple ordered snacks, two cakes, and Varsha consumed four shots of fruit wine. However, the evening took a sudden turn when Varsha claimed a family emergency and abruptly left.

Later, the man was shocked to receive an exorbitant bill of Rs 1,21,917.70 for what should have cost only a few thousand. When he questioned the excessive charge, he was threatened and forced to pay.

The man, whose identity remains undisclosed by the police, transferred the amount online to Akshay Pahwa, one of the cafe owners, a 32-year-old from Shahdara, East Delhi.

Immediately after leaving the cafe, the man reported the incident to the police. Akshay was promptly arrested and revealed that the Black Mirror Café is owned by him, his cousin Vansh Pahwa, and their friend, Ansh Grover. The cafe employs several "table managers," including Aryan, a Class 7 dropout who is currently unemployed.

Akshay further disclosed that Varsha’s real identity is 25-year-old Afsan Parveen, also known as Aaysha or Noor.

Using technical surveillance, the police arrested Afsan at another cafe, where she was on a 'date' with a boy from Mumbai whom she had met through Shadi.com.

During interrogation, Afsan revealed that Aryan had communicated with the civil service aspirant, pretending to be Varsha. Aryan sent a one-time view picture of Afsan and invited him to Laxmi Nagar on June 23 to celebrate her birthday.

The police discovered that the exorbitant bills were divided among the Black Mirror Cafe staff in a fixed ratio: 15 percent to the girl, 45 percent to the table and café managers, and the remaining 40 percent to the owners.

The investigation is ongoing, with efforts to arrest other co-accused.

Several similar scams operate in major metro cities like Delhi, NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, targeting victims through dating apps. These scams involve café owners, managers, and individuals who lure targets to the cafes, where they are overcharged for food and drinks. If they refuse to pay, they are threatened, beaten, or confined until they comply.