Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, May 16: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted an organised honey-trap and extortion racket that allegedly targeted men through dating applications such as Tinder and QuackQuack by luring them into fake meetings and threatening them with fabricated criminal cases.
Police said four accused identified as Sushil Kumar, Deepak, Vinod Pandit and Neeraj Tyagi have been arrested, while two others, Gagan and Pooja, are absconding.
According to investigators, the gang allegedly created fake female profiles on dating platforms to befriend victims and call them to isolated locations in Delhi. Once the victims arrived, gang members reportedly staged fake police raids, with one accused dressed in a police uniform, and threatened to implicate them in false rape cases unless they paid huge sums of money.
In one such case, a victim reportedly connected with a woman posing as “Kirti” on Tinder and was called to a flat in Janakpuri. Police said the victim was then surrounded by gang members who allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh from him.
The victim was reportedly confined inside a car and forced to withdraw money from ATMs while being threatened with arrest and criminal charges.
Acting on a complaint and technical surveillance, a Crime Branch team led by Inspector Pawan Kumar intercepted the gang near Kalyan Jewellers on May 12. During the operation, Sushil Kumar was allegedly caught wearing a fake police uniform. The remaining accused were arrested later.
Investigators said the accused had previously been involved in similar offences. Neeraj, Vinod and Deepak were earlier booked in a similar honey-trap and extortion case registered in Bindapur. Sushil Kumar had also been arrested in 2017 in connection with a similar modus operandi.
Police said Sushil allegedly impersonated a police officer during the extortion attempts and received a 15 per cent share of the money collected from victims. Deepak is accused of operating fake female accounts under names such as “Kirti”, while Vinod and Neeraj allegedly joined the racket to make quick money.
Delhi Police has advised citizens to remain cautious while interacting with strangers on dating applications and avoid meeting unknown persons at isolated places. Police also urged victims of online extortion or honey-trap attempts to immediately report such incidents to authorities.