Delhi man arrested for scamming over 700 women on dating apps by pretending to be a US model

A 23-year-old man named Tushar Singh Bisht has been arrested in Shakarpur, East Delhi, for defrauding over 700 women on dating platforms such as Bumble and Snapchat. Tushar, who worked as a recruiter in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, by day, created a fake persona by night, pretending to be a US-based model, according to a report by NDTV.

To carry out the scam, Tushar used an app to generate a virtual international number and set up fake profiles on social media and dating apps. He claimed to be a model from the US on a soul-searching trip to India, using stolen photos and stories from a Brazilian model to build trust with women aged 18-30.

After gaining their trust, Tushar convinced his victims to share phone numbers, intimate photos, or videos. Initially, his actions were for personal amusement, but they soon escalated into extortion. He threatened to leak or sell the content online if the victims did not pay him money.

According to the police, Tushar interacted with over 500 women on Bumble and 200 more on Snapchat and WhatsApp. One victim, a Delhi University student, met Tushar on Bumble in January 2024. After moving their chats to private platforms, she shared personal photos with him. Later, he sent her one of her videos, demanding money and threatening to release the content online.

The student initially complied but eventually sought help from her family and filed a complaint with the Cyber Police Station in December 2024.

Under the guidance of ACP Arvind Yadav, the West Delhi Cyber Police traced Tushar's activities using digital evidence. A raid in Shakarpur led to his arrest, where police recovered incriminating data on his phone, a virtual international number, and 13 credit cards. They also found evidence of conversations with over 60 women, along with proof of similar extortion cases involving other victims.

Tushar holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and had a steady job. Despite having a secure life, he turned to cybercrime, reportedly motivated by greed.

Police are continuing their investigation to identify more victims and gather additional evidence.