Three FIRs against cafe owner for overcharging customers

The Delhi Police have registered three FIRs against the owner of a cafe in East Delhi’s Anand Vihar area on Thursday. The cafe owner is allegedly running a systematic overcharging racket in which customers were lured through dating applications and presented with inflated bills. Following the registration of the cases, the cafe has been sealed and its operations shut down.

According to the police, multiple complaints were received from young men who alleged that they were duped after being persuaded by women they met on dating apps to visit the cafe, located inside a mall in the Anand Vihar area.

“Three FIRs have been registered against the cafe owner after verification of complaints related to overbilling of food and beverages. The establishment has been closed,” a senior police officer said.

Investigators suspect a “dating conspiracy” in which women allegedly acted as decoys on popular dating platforms to target unsuspecting customers.

Police sources said the women would initiate conversations online, gain the trust of the men, and then insist on meeting at the same cafe. Once inside, the victims were allegedly encouraged to order food and drinks that were priced far higher than standard rates.

“Several complainants stated that the menu was either not shown properly or prices were misrepresented. Bills eventually ran into unusually high amounts, far beyond what the customers had anticipated,” a source associated with the investigation said. In some cases, victims claimed that the bills were inconsistent with the menu rates or included items they had not knowingly ordered.

Police said some victims were allegedly intimidated when they objected to the inflated bills or expressed their inability to pay. “In a few instances, the complainants also alleged physical assault inside or near the cafe,” the source added. These allegations are now part of the investigation.

Officials said the modus operandi appeared organised, with the cafe functioning as a fixed meeting point for such encounters.