Two men convicted for series of burglaries using dating app Grindr

Two men who carried out a series of burglaries across London, identifying their victims on the dating app Grindr, have been convicted following a Met Police investigation.

In total, an organised crime group carried out 35 burglaries and 20 related frauds between October 2024 and March this year relating to 22 victims.

Rahmat Khan Mohammadi, 22 (28.10.02), of Weald Lane in Harrow and Mohammed Bilal Hotak, 21 (01.01.04), of Richmond Road in Hackney, both Afghan nationals, were found guilty of burglary, fraud and theft at Isleworth Crown Court today, Tuesday, 4 November.

These convictions are a result of an extensive, complex investigation led by detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command which began in March this year.

Officers trawled through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, ANPR data, thousands of phone records and text messages which not only enabled them to link Mohammadi and Hotak to each other as well as their offending.

Superintendent Owen Renowden, the Met’s hate crime lead who oversaw the investigation, said:

“Mohammadi and Hotak carried out a series of callous, calculated, pre-planned offences across London, targeting unsuspecting men and resulting in high-value items and money being stolen, and I welcome today’s outcome at court.

“I’d like to praise the victims who have shown great strength throughout our investigation, as well the Met’s LGBT+ Advisory Group and the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, GALOP, which enabled us to ensure we conducted our work with sensitivity and care.

“The Met is fully committed to ensuring all communities in London feel safe, as well as continuing to enhance the trust and confidence LGBT+ people place in us. Organised crime has a devastating impact on society and will simply not be tolerated.”

Last autumn, the Met began to receive reports of several phone thefts across the capital, with all the victims targeted in the same way.

Mohammadi and Hotak would identify their victims and initiate contact via the dating app Grindr, and after exchanging messages online, would arrange to meet them at their homes.

Once inside, the pair would use a range of distraction tactics to obtain mobile phone passwords before stealing their handsets and making a quick exit from the property, often using a getaway vehicle waiting nearby.

Mohammadi and Hotak would then access the victim’s personal data to make payments, withdraw money or transfer funds to other accounts. In some cases, they would steal other high value items such as wallets, passports and watches.

Mohammadi was arrested on Thursday, 3 April and charged with one count of theft, 17 counts of burglary and 12 fraud offences on Saturday, 5 April.

Hotak was arrested on Thursday, 24 April and charged the following day on Friday, 25 April, with one count of theft, 14 counts of burglary and nine fraud offences.

The pair will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court at a later date.