Two burglars who targeted victims across London using the dating app Grindr have been convicted.
An organised crime group carried out 35 burglaries and 20 related frauds between October last year and March relating to 22 victims, the Met Police said.
Rahmat Khan Mohammadi, 23, from Harrow, and Mohammed Bilal Hotak, 21, from Hackney, were found guilty of burglary, fraud and theft at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday.
Last autumn, the Met Police began to receive reports of several phone thefts across the capital, with all the victims targeted in the same way.
Afghan nationals Mohammadi and Hotak would identify victims and reach out ot them on Grindr before arranging to meet them at their homes.
Once inside, Mohammadi and Hotak would use a range of distraction tactics to obtain mobile phone passwords before stealing their victims' handsets and making a quick exit from the property, often using a getaway vehicle waiting nearby.
The pair would then access the victim’s personal data to make payments, withdraw money or transfer funds to other accounts.
In some cases, they also stole items such as wallets, passports and watches.
Mohammadi was arrested on April 3 and charged with one count of theft, 17 counts of burglary and 12 fraud offences two days later.
Meanwhile, Hotak was arrested on April 24 and charged the following day 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.
Detectives trawled through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, number plate data, as well as thousands of phone records and text records to link Mohammadi and Hotak to the crimes.
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.”
