07 May,2026 08:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Dinesh Vaktania
Illustrations/Uday Mohite
A 20-year-old Bandra resident who went to meet a man he connected with on dating app "Walla" allegedly ended up being assaulted, robbed and forced to transfer money through his PhonePe account during a two-hour ordeal across Mumbai on May 5.
Bandra police arrested two accused, Mohammad Rizwan Mohammad Imran Sheikh, 19, of Dongri, and Mohammad Ali Mohammad Shafiq Qureshi, 22, Bandra East, within hours of the FIR being registered.
Match on dating app
After chatting on the dating app "Walla" for several days, the victim agreed to meet Rizwan near Bandra Talao around 6 pm on May 5.
Ride across Bandra
Rizwan allegedly arrived on a black Suzuki Burgman scooter and took the victim towards Carter Road via SV Road and Khar. Near Mari Aai Mata Temple, another accused, Ali, joined them before the trio rode around Bandstand and Carter Road
Assault and UPI extortion
Near a dog park at Carter Road, the accused allegedly turned aggressive, abused the victim, snatched his phone and forced him to reveal his PhonePe password. Police said the victim was later taken to the Dockyard Road area, where Rs 18,000 was allegedly transferred through a QR code at a mobile accessories shop. "When the victim refused to share the password, he was assaulted again," a police officer said. The accused later returned the victim's phone and fled
Scooter number leads to arrests
Before approaching the police, the victim noted the scooter number - MH-02-GM-1363. Using CCTV footage, technical analysis and vehicle registration details, police traced and detained both accused from Juhu Beach within three hours, officers said. "The vehicle details played a crucial role in tracing the accused quickly," an officer said
Incident date: May 5
Meeting point: Bandra Talao
Money extorted: Rs 18,000
Vehicle used: Scooter
Arrest location: Juhu
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Senior PI Ravindra Salunkhe and DCP Dikshit Gedam by PI Ajay Lingnurkar, API Vijay Achrekar and PSI Suraj Irkate, along with constables Atish Patil, Nikhilesh Sable, Ravi Gaikwad, Rahul Pawar and Swapnil Kakde.
