In a disturbing case of digital deception that has rattled the business community in Punjab, a Ropar-based brick kiln owner was allegedly lured into a high-stakes “honey-trap” robbery after connecting with a woman on the dating app Tinder. The incident, which culminated in the arrest of two suspects on January 4, 2026, began when the businessman matched with a woman who identified herself as “Aditi.”
After a few days of chatting, the pair met at a market in Mohali’s Sector 70, where they shared coffee in the victim’s car. According to the police complaint, the woman, later identified as Harjeet Kaur of Moga, allegedly took advantage of a brief moment when the man stepped out of the vehicle to spike his drink with a powerful intoxicant.
The victim reportedly lost consciousness shortly after entering the room, allowing Kaur and her accomplice, Eeshav Bhardwaj of Jalandhar, to decamp with a substantial haul of valuables, including a 6.5-tola gold chain, a 5.5-tola gold bracelet, a five-gram gold ring, and ₹70,000 in cash.
The Mohali police, led by the Matour station house officer (SHO) Rupinder Singh, launched a swift multi-state manhunt after identifying Kaur through CCTV footage from the lodge.
The investigation revealed that the duo had immediate plans to evade capture; Harjeet Kaur was intercepted at a bus stand in Rajpura while attempting to flee to Delhi, while Eeshav Bhardwaj, who reportedly runs an immigration office in Jalandhar, was apprehended in the hill station of Shimla.
Both suspects carry prior criminal records—Kaur is reportedly facing three previous cases, while Bhardwaj has one pending—suggesting they may be part of an organised syndicate. On Sunday, a district court remanded the pair to five days of police custody to facilitate the recovery of the stolen jewellery and further interrogation.
This case serves as a stark warning about the rising trend of “dating app heists” in North India, prompting local authorities to urge citizens to exercise extreme caution when meeting strangers from online platforms.
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