Sentence: 3.5 years imprisonment
Mohammed Bilal Hotak, 21, of Richmond Road in Hackney, and Rahmat Khan Mohammadi carried out a series of callous, calculated, pre-planned burglaries and thefts across London between October 2024 and March 2025, targeting 22 victims identified via the dating app Grindr. They arranged to meet victims at their homes, used distraction tactics to obtain mobile phone passwords, stole handsets, accessed personal data to make fraudulent payments, withdraw money or transfer funds, and in some cases stole high-value items such as wallets, passports and watches. The investigation began in March 2025 following reports of phone thefts with Grindr as a common feature, leading to the identification of 32 offences over a two-week period and re-opening historic cases. Officers reviewed CCTV footage, ANPR data, phone records and text messages to link the pair to the crimes.