In a significant breakthrough, the city police’s cyber cell uncovered a fraud scheme operating through a restaurant on Elgin Road. Two individuals were arrested on Thursday, including Mariyam Khatoon, one of the primary suspects, and Ranapati Paswas, the restaurant manager, for their involvement in a dating-app scam.
The scam came to light after multiple victims reported being coerced into paying exorbitant bills under the threat of violence. The accused reportedly used fake profiles on dating apps to target people. These profiles were operated by a network of women trained by the restaurant to lure unsuspecting victims. Once at the restaurant, the women would abruptly leave the dates, leaving the victims behind to face intimidation and harassment from the restaurant staff.
According to Rupesh Kumar, Joint CP (Crime & Traffic), the restaurant management was directly involved in the operation, training women to create fake dating profiles and identify potential targets. The victims were then left stranded with no way to escape the situation, often being forced to pay inflated bills, with some amounts reaching upwards of Rs 10,000.
The scam was uncovered following a morning raid at Baruipur, where Mariyam Khatoon was arrested. Another raid at the Elgin Road restaurant led to the arrest of manager Ranapati Paswas, alias Arun Paswas. Both are now in police custody, and investigations into the larger network behind the scam are ongoing.
This case highlights the growing danger of scams targeting individuals through dating apps, exploiting people’s emotions for financial gain. The police have assured the public that further action will be taken to dismantle the entire operation.
