Introduction to the Case
Two burglars who used the dating app Grindr to trick victims into letting them into their homes have been jailed. Rahmat Khan Mohammadi, 23, and Mohammed Bilal Hotak, 27, arranged to meet the victims at their London properties and persuaded them to give up their phone passwords by asking to play music on YouTube.
The Crime Spree
Mohammadi targeted 11 victims in his five-month crime spree between October 24, 2024 and March 24, 2025. Hotak committed multiple offenses between October 24, 2024 and December 23, 2024. The Afghan refugees then stole the devices and left the country without making online or contactless payments and occasionally transferring money to themselves.
Sentencing
Mohammadi was sentenced to five years and Hotak to three and a half years at Isleworth Crown Court. In sentencing both men, the judge said: "I noted the psychological trauma and inconvenience caused to the victims and the distress they have all expressed at allowing you into their homes – into their privacy – only to be violated."
Motivation Behind the Crimes
The prosecutor claimed the men were targeted because of their sexuality and the offenses could actually be viewed as hate crimes. However, the judge said they were not chosen because the two men harbored "hostility" towards the victims’ sexuality. Rather, it was because they knew that Grindr – a gay dating app – was "an opportunity to gain easy access to victims’ homes."
Modus Operandi
They often used a Grindr profile without a photo and sent one of someone else when a potential victim requested a picture. At several meetings, Mohammadi asked to bring a friend, namely Hotak. Once inside, they asked the victim to turn on music, usually YouTube, as the phone could not be locked while a video was playing. Distraction tactics to get the victim to leave the room included showering before sex, making themselves a drink and showing one of them where the toilet was.
Impact on the Victims
One victim spoke of the “severe psychological trauma” of the targeted attacks and the impact of losing photos of deceased family members stored on his phone. He said: “The suspects used Grindr, a gay dating app, as a hunting ground.” Another victim described being “led into a dark, wet park late at night” and told to take off his clothes before his phone was taken away. He called the theft "invasive and degrading" and says he is still afraid to date people he met online.
Verdict and Aftermath
A jury found Mohammadi guilty of 10 counts of burglary of a dwelling, nine counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft. Hotak was convicted of five counts of burglary of a dwelling, five counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft. Superintendent Owen Renowden, head of the Metropolitan Police’s hate crimes unit, described their crimes as "callous, calculated, pre-planned". “Their actions had a devastating impact on their victims,” he said. “No one should feel unsafe in their own home and they will have to live with the trauma these men inflicted on them.”
