Exclusive | Dating app scam: So lucrative, there were three gangs!

Hotel Royal Inn in Goregaon West, where six suspects in the dating app scam were nabbed, on September 4. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The six suspects arrested in connection with the dating app scam claimed that it started 18 months ago when a group from Delhi floated the idea to pub owners here. Seeing how lucrative the scam was, some desperate pub owners started adopting the modus operandi independently. Meanwhile, realising there was even more money to be made, another group broke away from the Delhi gang.

The authorities told mid-day they uncovered evidence of the scamsters' involvement in half a dozen clubs in Mumbai. On Wednesday morning, following mid-day's reports on the racket, the Bangur Nagar police raided the Royal Inn Hotel in Goregaon and arrested six suspects allegedly involved in scamming dating app users. The accused were produced before the Borivali metropolitan magistrate's court and were remanded in police custody for five days, according to an officer from Bangur Nagar police station.

Suspects arrested in the dating app scam being brought out of the Hotel Royal Inn in Goregaon West on September 4. PIC/ANURAG AHIRE

According to the police, arrested accused spilled the beans about the gang that arrived in Mumbai 18 months ago. The group used to take over clubs and pubs that were on the verge of closure. The profits generated were split on a 70-30 basis, with the lion's share going to the gang, according to the suspects. With the hefty profit margins involved, many members split from the gang, forming factions.

"With the money pouring in, some pub owners also started to scam customers using their own staff to avoid sharing profits with the gang," an officer from Bangur Nagar police station said. Until mid-day exposed the racket, more than 25 youngsters were staying in the Royal Inn Hotel.

Suspects' story

Police said that the four arrested men revealed that they came to Mumbai just 10 days ago from Delhi and were waiting to take over a club in the city. They were luring customers using the two arrested women. The cops said that the latter had been working in Mumbai for a long time. The duo would allegedly ensure the men landed in the Godfather Club & Lounge in Andheri West and two clubs in Charkop and Kandivli.

"We have seized six mobile phones. The chat history of the gang's WhatsApp group was recorded as evidence. We are going to issue notices to Mumbai-based clubs associated with the gang. We have learnt about the gang leader and his associates. These are the main culprits. We have identified them and are looking for them," the officer added. Sources from the hospitality industry told mid-day that club owners and management were using tactics they learned from this Delhi-based gang to deceive customers.

Kingpin vanishes

Sources said that after the Mumbai racket was exposed, the gang started operating in clubs in Kopri and surrounding areas near Pune, but after the news of the arrest of the gang members was published in mid-day's September 5 edition, night clubs run by the gang in Koregaon were closed, and the kingpin and others have probably gone underground.