A young man preparing for civil services was scammed after meeting a girl he matched with on Tinder. He met a woman named Varsha on the app and planned to celebrate her birthday on June 23 at Black Mirror Cafe on Vikas Marg.

They had some snacks at the cafe – two cakes and Varsha had four fruit wine shots. Suddenly, Varsha left in the evening, citing family problems. The young man was then handed a bill for ₹1,21,917.70 instead of a few thousand rupees. He was threatened and pressured to pay when he questioned the high bill.

The victim said he paid the amount online without revealing his identity. The payment was traced to Akshay Pahwa, one of the cafe owners and a resident of Shahdara in East Delhi. The victim immediately went to the police and filed a complaint. The police quickly arrested Akshay. During questioning, he revealed that he owns the cafe with his cousin Vansh Pahwa and their friend Ansh Grover. They also employ several “table managers,” including Arya.

Akshay disclosed that Varsha’s real identity is Afsana Parveen, also known as Ayesha or Noor. The police arrested Afsana at another cafe, where she was on a ‘date’ with a man from Mumbai, whom she met through Shaadi.com.

During interrogation, Afsana revealed that Arya had posed as Varsha to contact the civil services aspirant. Arya shared a photo of Afsana and invited the young man to celebrate her birthday on June 23 in Lakshmi Nagar. The police discovered that the money extorted from victims was divided among the scammers: 15% to the girl, 45% to the table and café managers, and 40% to the owners.

The investigation is ongoing, and efforts are being made to arrest the other accused. Similar scams are common in major cities like Delhi, NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, where cafe owners, managers, and accomplices use dating apps to lure and overcharge unsuspecting victims.