Two men have been imprisoned for a string of burglaries across London, having specifically targeted victims they contacted via the dating application Grindr. The Metropolitan Police investigation led to the conviction of Rahmat Khan Mohammadi (right), 22, and Mohammed Bilal Hotak (left), 21, both Afghan nationals.
The pair were found guilty of burglary, fraud and theft at Isleworth Crown Court on 4 November. At the same court on 22 December, Mohammadi was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, while Hotak received a three-and-a-half-year custodial term.
Superintendent Owen Renowden, the Met's hate crime lead, stated the crimes were "callous, calculated, and pre-planned," targeting men and stealing high-value items and money. He emphasised the devastating impact on victims' sense of safety in their own homes and praised their strength during the investigation.
The convictions stem from an extensive probe by the Met's Specialist Crime Command, which began in March. The duo were part of an organised crime group responsible for 35 burglaries and 20 related frauds against 22 victims between October of the previous year and March.
The modus operandi involved the pair initiating contact with men on Grindr, arranging to meet at their homes, and then using distraction techniques to obtain mobile phone passwords. After stealing the phones, they would quickly exit, often to a waiting getaway vehicle. They subsequently accessed victims' personal data to make fraudulent payments and transfers, also stealing items like wallets, passports, and watches.
Detectives linked a series of thefts reported across several boroughs where Grindr was a common factor. By reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV, automatic number plate recognition data, and thousands of phone records, officers connected Mohammadi and Hotak to the offences.
Detective Inspector Mark Gavin noted “We know that trust and confidence in the Met police is lower among the LGBT+ community than most groups, so ensuring victims felt heard, believed and taken seriously was a key focus for us throughout this investigation. We deployed specialist LGBT+ community liaison officers to review these crimes and worked closely with each victim to offer them support and advice daily, and this proved crucial in giving them the confidence to speak to us and provide information."
Mohammadi was arrested on 3 April and charged with multiple counts of theft, burglary, and fraud. Hotak was arrested on 24 April and similarly charged. The Met acknowledged the guidance of its LGBT+ Advisory Group and the charity GALOP in conducting the sensitive investigation.
