Hyderabad: The Madhapur Police have arrested seven individuals involved in a recent online dating scam which came to light after a man was trapped and forced to pay Rs 40,505 in a pub located in Gachibowli on June 6.
Upon checking Google reviews of the pub, the victim found similar complaints from others. The scam involved pub owners, in collaboration with women, lured businessmen through dating apps and extort money from them.
The accused, identified as Aakash Kumar, Suraj Kumar, Akshat Narula, Tarun, Shiv Raj Nayak, Rohith Kumar, and Cherkupally Sai Kumar, were arrested in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
The investigation revealed that they allegedly lured innocent customers via an online dating app, inviting them to Mosh Pub in Madhapur, where they were coerced into buying expensive liquor. The total amount defrauded is estimated to be Rs. 30 lakhs from 50-60 victims, Madhapur DCP Dr G Vineeth told the media.
Explaining the modus operandi between the scammers and the pub owners, the DCP said, the accused operated a nightclub named Devils Night Club in Delhi. They recruited girls who are looking for job and used their profiles on online dating apps to attract customers creating fake profiles on dating apps. Suraj Kumar, one of the accused, would chat with men pretending to be a woman. Then allow the women to first meet at cafe then manipulate the victims into going to the pub.
Victims in Hyderabad were invited to Mosh Pub, where they were pressured to order overpriced food and beverages.The gang members would serve the customers and ensure high bills. They have seperate menu with high prices only for the scam purposes.
After running up high bills, the women would disappear, leaving the customers to pay. The bills were then split among the pub owner, organizers, and the girls. This scam was previously executed in Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad and was being planned for Nagpur. Some victims reported the scam to the police, leading to further investigation, he added.
He further said that the accused targeted struggling pubs with low Google ratings, operating over six weekends in 45 days at Mosh Pub.
The police seized eight smart mobile phones, cars worth of Rs. 40 lakhs from the accused and a case has been registered under sections 406, 419, 420 of IPC.
DCP Madhapur said, "We urge the public to report any suspicious activities related to dating app scams immediately and to report any information about gangs using dating apps to trap customers in pubs and bars to the police via Dial 100, the Cyberabad Anti-Drug Abuse helpline at 9490617182, or WhatsApp at 9490617444. The details reports will be kept confidential, he stated. .
