New Delhi: What began with an innocuous WhatsApp invitation allegedly ended in intimidation, assault and extortion for a 28-year-old man, who was reportedly lured to an Anand Vihar restaurant before being confronted with an inflated bill and allegedly forced to part with cash and money from his bank account.The incident was reported at Anand Vihar police station on Sept 14. The complainant, Ramkrishan, told police that an unknown woman contacted him on WhatsApp and called him to Karkardooma metro station before taking him to a restaurant.According to his complaint, he was presented with an inflated bill of around Rs 21,000 and intimidated and assaulted when he hesitated to pay. Under pressure, he paid Rs 8,000 in cash and transferred another Rs 6,000 through UPI to an account in the name of Arun Kumar Sharma.The accused allegedly took his ATM card and PIN and withdrew another Rs 11,000 from his account. They also allegedly threatened him against approaching police and demanded an additional Rs 25,000.DCP Shahdara Rajendra Prasad Meena said, “An FIR under Sections 308 (extortion) and 3(5) (common intention) of BNS was registered. Based on the investigation, two men associated with the restaurant were arrested.”The accused were identified as Aman Gujjar (28) of Nagla, Khekra, Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, and Md Arshadullah Alam (28) of Lalita Park, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi. Police said Gujjar worked as a bouncer at the restaurant, while Alam was an organiser.During interrogation, they disclosed the involvement of the woman who had contacted Ramkrishan. She fled before police arrived, and efforts are on to identify and apprehend her.Police said the alleged modus operandi involved the woman luring prospective victims to the restaurant through WhatsApp, where an inflated bill was allegedly generated and victims were intimidated and assaulted if they resisted. Payments were then allegedly taken in cash and through UPI, while ATM cards and PINs were allegedly obtained to withdraw money.Police are verifying CCTV footage, the UPI transaction, ATM withdrawal and the woman’s mobile details. The arrested men are being questioned. Further investigation is underway.
