In New Delhi, a civil service aspirant who swiped right on a dating app found himself unknowingly ensnared in a meticulously planned scheme targeting men seeking relationships.
On Sunday, the individual, unnamed by the police, arrived at the Black Mirror Cafe in East Delhi’s Vikas Marg area to commemorate Versha’s birthday, whom he had recently connected with on the dating app “Tinder”.
At the cafe, they ordered several snacks, two cakes, and four servings of a non-alcoholic beverage.
The “date” seemed to be going smoothly until Versha abruptly left due to a family emergency. After finishing their meal and requesting the bill, the man was shocked to see an exorbitant amount of ₹1,21,917.70, far exceeding the reasonable cost for their order.
Despite disputing the bill, the victim faced threats, confinement, and coercion to pay. Eventually, he transferred the sum online to Akshay Pahwa, one of the cafe owners, residing in Shahdara, East Delhi, and with a Class 10 education.
Upon leaving the cafe, he immediately reported the incident to the police, prompting an investigation led by Inspector Sanjay Gupta’s four-member team. Subsequently, Mr. Pahwa was taken into police custody.
During the investigation, Mr. Pahwa disclosed to the police that he co-owns the Black Mirror cafe with Ansh Grover and Vansh Pahwa. Akshay and Vansh are cousins, while Ansh is a friend of theirs. The cafe employs several “table managers,” including Aryan, who is managed by Digranshu. Aryan, a Class 7 dropout, is currently unemployed.
Mr. Pahwa also identified Versha as 25-year-old Afsan Parveen, who uses aliases such as Ayesha and Noor. When the police located Ms. Parveen, she was at another cafe on a date with a man from Mumbai whom she had met on Shaadi.com.
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Ms. Parveen confessed their method to the police: Aryan had contacted the victim, posing as Versha, and shared Ms. Parveen’s photo in one-time view mode. They arranged to meet at Laxmi Nagar on June 23 to celebrate her birthday. As planned, Ms. Parveen staged a family emergency and left abruptly, leaving her date to face the unexpectedly high bill.
Each participant in the scheme receives a portion of the ill-gotten gains: Ms. Parveen takes 15%, the table and cafe managers divide 45%, and the remaining 40% goes to the owners. This fraudulent operation spans several major cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, targeting unsuspecting men through dating apps.
According to the police, these schemes thrive on coordinated efforts among cafe owners, managers, and others who manipulate dating app matches. “Table managers” create fake profiles to entice men to cafes, where they are then overcharged. Those who resist payment face threats, violence, or confinement until compliance.
The police noted that societal stigma often deters victims from reporting such incidents promptly. Ms. Parveen and Mr. Pahwa have been arrested, and authorities have confiscated their phones and the cafe’s records. The investigation remains ongoing, with efforts underway to apprehend other suspects involved in the operation.
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