Powai student duped of Rs 27,000 by Andheri-based club for farewell party

The Immortal Club in Andheri West has been shut for the past three months. Pic/Dweep Bane

A Powai-based college student booked a table at the Andheri-based Immortal Club for a farewell party involving 75 college staff and students. After making an advance payment, one of the students visited the venue to check the arrangements, only to discover that the club had been shut for the past three months. When the victim demanded a refund, the individual refused to return the money.

The 22-year-old victim, a third-year engineering student residing in a Powai hostel, told mid-day that he booked the Immortal Club - located at Crystal Paradise in Andheri West - after finding the contact number on a popular food delivery application.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the student said, "On April 14, my college asked me to arrange a farewell party for 75 staff and students. They also suggested the Immortal Club at Crystal Paradise, Andheri West. I searched for the number on a well-known food delivery app and contacted the club. The call was answered by someone named Tejas Prajapati, who confirmed the booking."

"The club representative asked for 30 per cent advance and sent me a QR code. After getting the college's approval, I paid Rs 27,000. The next day, on April 15, my friend was in Andheri West, so I asked him to check the venue. When he visited the location, he found that Immortal Club had been shut for the past three months," he added.

The student tried repeatedly to contact the number listed on the food delivery app to ask for a refund, but the person declined to return the money. He eventually approached Powai Police and registered an FIR against Tejas Prajapati for allegedly cheating him of R27,000 by accepting payment for a party booking and failing to provide either the service or a refund.

Senior Inspector Jitendra Sonawane of Powai police station told mid-day, "We have registered the FIR after the complainant approached us." "We are checking the QR code used for the payment. The number the victim contacted was listed on a food delivery app, and we will also coordinate with the app company to investigate further. We are verifying the ownership of the number and will trace the individual with the help of the cyber cell," said a police officer.

When asked whether this location is the same as the one involved in the dating app scam linked to Godfather Club, the police officer said, "We will also verify this with the local police and the club management."

Sources informed mid-day that Immortal Club was operating from the same premises where a mid-day investigation in August 2024 had uncovered a dating app scam. Reporters had downloaded Tinder, Bumble, and other apps, where they were approached by women who later invited them to Godfather Club. Once inside, the women ran up large bills before disappearing. The Bangur Nagar police had registered an FIR in that case and arrested the alleged kingpin from Delhi.

mid-day contacted the Immortal Club's phone number listed on the food delivery application, but calls and messages went unanswered.