Delhi man lured by dating-app trap, extorted Rs 2.15 lakh; four arrested

Four people have been arrested for allegedly extorting Rs 2.15 lakh from a 44-year-old man in Delhi's Najafgarh area after luring him through a dating app, police said on Thursday. One of the accused allegedly posed as a policeman.The accused have been identified as Mandeep (38), Preeti (32), Kamlesh (42) and Ritu (40). Police said the complainant, a resident of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, was called to Dhansa Metro Station by a woman he had met on the app and was then taken to a house in southwest Delhi's Najafgarh.According to the complaint, after reaching the house, the man was threatened and forced to transfer money through multiple UPI and bank transactions, apart from cash. Police said he transferred Rs 1.93 lakh through bank-to-bank and UPI transactions, while Rs 22,000 was taken in cash.After the complaint, Chhawla police station registered a case on September 14. Police said they established the sequence of events, identified the alleged roles of the four accused, arrested them and recovered Rs 70,500. The remaining amount was traced to different bank accounts, which have been frozen to prevent further withdrawal or diversion, and efforts are underway to recover the rest.Police said Mandeep, a resident of Sonipat district in Haryana, has four previous cases registered against him, including three alleged extortion cases in Sonipat and one case under the IPC at Kanjhawala police station. A case was also registered against Kamlesh at Dwarka North police station in 2023. Police said further investigation is underway to verify the accused persons' past involvement, identify any other alleged associates or victims, and trace the remaining proceeds in the case.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 17, 2026 17:33 IST