Delhi Police's Crime Branch on Saturday, 17 May 2026, dismantled an organised honey-trap and extortion racket that operated through dating applications including Tinder and QuackQuack, arresting four accused who allegedly impersonated police officials to extort money from victims. The case was registered as FIR No. 124/2026 at Police Station Crime Branch under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

How the Racket Operated

According to the Crime Branch, gang members created fake female profiles on dating apps to lure targets. Female associates would invite victims to meet at public places — in the present case, Haldiram in Janakpuri — before escorting them to rented flats or isolated locations. There, other members staged fake police raids, with one accused wearing a fake police uniform to project authority.

Victims were then threatened with fabricated criminal charges, including rape allegations, and pressured to pay large sums as 'settlement' money. In the case that triggered the current operation, the complainant was allegedly demanded ₹15 lakh. The accused also allegedly confined him inside his Maruti Ciaz and drove him around while forcing him to withdraw cash from ATMs.

The Arrests: Operation at Rajouri Garden

Acting on specific intelligence developed by ASI Ashok, a special team was constituted under Inspector Pawan Kumar and ACP Narender Beniwal, comprising SI Inderveer Singh, ASI Ashwani, ASI Somnath, Head Constable Deepak, and Head Constable Pooja.

On 12 May, the team laid a trap near Kalyan Jewellers in Rajouri Garden. The suspected vehicle was intercepted, though three accused initially fled. Sushil Kumar, 53, a resident of Dharampura, Najafgarh, was apprehended at the scene — reportedly still wearing a fake police uniform at the time of arrest. The remaining accused — Deepak alias Sajan (resident of Sonipat, Haryana), Vinod Pandit (resident of Uttam Nagar, Delhi), and Neeraj Tyagi alias Dhiru (resident of Tilak Nagar, Delhi) — were subsequently arrested.

Profiles of the Accused

Sushil Kumar, a graduate who works as a property dealer, allegedly joined the gang for financial gain and received a reported 15 per cent cut of the extorted amount for playing the fake police officer. He was previously arrested in 2017 in a similar case.

Deepak alias Sajan, educated up to Class 12 and residing in rented accommodation in Krishna Puri, Tilak Nagar, was allegedly addicted to gambling and had suffered heavy financial losses. His role was to create fake female profiles and pose as 'Kirti' to establish contact with the complainant. Vinod Pandit, aged around 57, and Neeraj Tyagi, aged around 44 and a former cloth vendor in weekly markets around Tilak Nagar, allegedly joined the racket for easy money. Police noted that Neeraj, Vinod, and Deepak were previously named in a similar case at Bindapur Police Station.

Ongoing Search and Police Advisory

Two additional gang members — identified as Gagan and Pooja alias Kirti — remain at large, with efforts underway to trace them. Delhi Police have issued a public advisory urging citizens to exercise caution while interacting with unknown individuals on social media and dating platforms, avoid isolated locations with strangers, and immediately report any suspicious activity or extortion attempt to the authorities.

This is not an isolated incident — the organised use of dating apps to run honey-trap extortion schemes has emerged as a recurring law-enforcement challenge in urban India, with similar cases reported across Delhi and the NCR region in recent years.