The incident took place on November 1, 2026, when Zaid Ahmad, a resident of West Champaran, Bihar, connected with a woman on Tinder who introduced herself as Sanya.

She reportedly invited him for a blind date and asked him to meet near GTB Nagar Metro Station between 6:30 pm and 7 pm.

After meeting him, the woman took him to Black Panther Cafe in Hudson Lane, Mukherjee Nagar.

During their meeting, she allegedly ordered several food items, beverages and whisky. After some time, Ahmad was presented with a handwritten bill amounting to approximately ₹26,000.

When he questioned the unusually high bill, the cafe owner and other staff members allegedly pressured him to pay immediately.

According to the complaint, three to four people threatened him and prevented him from leaving the premises until he cleared the amount.

Fearing for his safety, Ahmad contacted his father, who transferred the money online. Interestingly, when the initial payment attempts through the cafe’s QR code failed, another QR code displaying the name ‘Naveen Rajput’ was provided.

The payment was eventually completed through the second QR code, following which Ahmad was allowed to leave.

The woman allegedly switched off her mobile phone and became untraceable after the incident. Following the complaint, Delhi Police registered an FIR at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station under Sections 308(2) (extortion) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police subsequently arrested two people identified as Javed (38), the owner of Black Panther Cafe, and Anuj Kumar (24), an employee. Both are residents of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the woman, identified as Sanya alias Nikita, remains absconding.

Police are also investigating whether more women and establishments were involved in a wider dating-app extortion racket.

Investigators are examining allegations of similar incidents involving the cafe, with some previous victims reportedly avoiding complaints due to social stigma.

The investigation is ongoing.