A dating app fraud reported in Sadar is expanding, with police confirming that more than half a dozen young men have been cheated using the same “restaurant trap” over the past two weeks.Following a complaint by Harshad Narendra Hatwar, investigators uncovered a pattern where victims were lured through dating apps and made to pay hefty food and liquor bills at a specific restaurant.
According to a senior police officer, the accused — a restaurant owner and a woman — allegedly planned the scam due to poor business. “With low footfall, they created a trap to make quick money. So far, more than six youths have been cheated using this method,” the officer said.Police found that the woman used multiple SIM cards to create fake profiles on various dating platforms, including Happn. She introduced herself under different names and quickly gained the victims’ trust.
After brief conversations, she would invite them on a date and insist on visiting the same restaurant. Once there, she ordered expensive food and several rounds of liquor, pushing the bill into tens of thousands of rupees. When victims objected, they were allegedly threatened by restaurant staff.
In the earlier case, Harshad was forced to pay ₹34,213 after being intimidated by the restaurant owner, manager, and a bouncer. The woman reportedly disappeared during the incident. Police suspect similar tactics were used on other victims, many of whom paid out of fear or embarrassment.
Officials noted that such scams have surfaced in cities like Hyderabad, Pune, and Mumbai, and Nagpur is now witnessing a similar trend. Police are working to identify more victims and are examining digital evidence, including call records and app data, to trace the entire network.
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