Tinder Swindler: Delhi Man Conned By Online 'Date' To Pay Rs 1.2 Lakh At Cafe

A civil service aspirant in East Delhi was unknowingly ensnared in a meticulously planned scam when he right-swiped on a girl on a dating app.

On Sunday, he met a woman named Versha, whom he had recently matched with on Tinder, at the Black Mirror Cafe on Vikas Marg to celebrate her birthday.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

They ordered snacks, two cakes, and four non-alcoholic shots. Midway through the date, Versha had to leave due to a family emergency. When the man called for the bill, he was shocked to find it totaled an outrageous Rs 1,21,917.70 - an amount far exceeding the cost of the food.

He disputed the bill but was threatened and confined until he transferred the money online to Akshay Pahwa, one of the cafe's owners. Pahwa, a Shahdara resident and high school pass out, was soon arrested following a police complaint by the victim.

During the investigation, Pahwa revealed that the Black Mirror Cafe was owned by him, his cousin Vansh Pahwa, and their friend Ansh Grover. He also implicated several "table managers" including Aryan, a Class 7 dropout, managed by a man named Digranshu.

Pahwa disclosed that "Versha" was actually Afsan Parveen, a 25-year-old using multiple aliases.

Police tracked down Parveen at another cafe, where she was on a "date" with a man she met on Shaadi.com.

She explained their scam: Aryan, posing as Versha, would invite men to the cafe using Parveen's photo. She would then leave the date early, and the man would be handed an inflated bill. The scam profits were divided among Parveen, the table and cafe managers, and the owners.

Such scams are reportedly common in metro cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, relying on fake dating profiles to lure men into cafes where they are overcharged and coerced into paying.

The police have arrested Parveen and Pahwa, seizing their phones and the cafe's register, and are continuing to pursue other suspects. Social stigma often prevents men from reporting these incidents, allowing the scam to thrive, reported NDTV.