Delhi Police have arrested two persons, including the owner of a cafe in North Delhi's Hudson Lane, for allegedly extorting around Rs 26,000 from a customer who was lured to the establishment by a woman through the dating application Tinder, an official said on Wednesday, November 4.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

The accused have been identified as Javed (38), the owner of Black Panther Cafe, and Anuj Kumar (24). Both are residents of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

According to the police, the incident took place on November 1, when the complainant, Zaid Ahmad, a resident of West Champaran in Bihar, came into contact with a woman identifying herself as Sanya through Tinder. She invited him for a blind date near GTB Nagar Metro Station between 6.30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and then took him to Black Panther Cafe in Hudson Lane, Mukherjee Nagar.

At the cafe, the woman ordered various food items, drinks and whisky, after which the complainant was presented with a handwritten bill amounting to approximately Rs 26,000. When he questioned the amount, the cafe owner and staff allegedly pressured him to pay immediately; he alleged that three to four persons threatened him and prevented him from leaving the premises. These are allegations in the complaint, and the case is under investigation.

Fearing for his safety, the complainant contacted his father, who transferred the amount online. Police said the first payment attempts through a QR code provided by the cafe owner failed; a second QR code displaying the name of Naveen Rajput was then provided, through which the money was transferred, and he was allowed to leave only after the payment. The woman later switched off her mobile phone and became untraceable, and a PCR call was made to the emergency number 112.

An FIR (No. 451/2026) under Sections 308(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Mukherjee Nagar police station. A police team comprising Sub-Inspector Vijay and Head Constable Praveen arrested both accused from the cafe. Police said neither accused has any previous criminal involvement.

Further investigation is underway to trace the woman identified as Sanya alias Nikita and to ascertain the involvement of other persons in the alleged extortion racket, police said.