Two men have been sentenced to a combined total of eight and a half years in prison for a series of burglaries in which they used the dating app Grindr to target their victims.
How the Grindr Burglary Operation Worked
Rahmat Khan Mohammadi, 23, and Mohammed Bilal Hotak, 21, both Afghan nationals, contacted men via the app and arranged to meet at their homes. Once inside, they used distraction techniques to obtain their victims' mobile phone passwords before stealing the devices.
The pair, who were part of a wider organised crime group, then used the stolen phones to transfer money, make payments, and withdraw funds. In several incidents, they also took other high-value items including wallets, passports, and watches.
A Complex Met Police Investigation
The Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command launched an investigation in March 2025 after noticing a pattern in theft reports across London. Officers linked 32 offences over a two-week period and reopened several historic cases.
Detectives trawled through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, analysed ANPR data to identify vehicles, and examined thousands of phone records and text messages. This evidence linked Mohammadi and Hotak to each other and to the crimes. In total, the group was responsible for 35 burglaries and 20 related frauds between October 2024 and March 2025, affecting 22 victims.
Both men were arrested in April 2025. They were found guilty of burglary, fraud, and theft at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, 4 November 2025.
Sentencing and Community Impact
At the same court on Monday, 22 December 2025, Mohammadi was sentenced to five years in prison. Hotak received a three-and-a-half-year jail term.
Superintendent Owen Renowden, the Met's hate crime lead, stated: "Mohammadi and Hotak carried out a series of callous, calculated, pre-planned crimes across London. Their actions had a devastating impact on their victims. Nobody should be made to feel unsafe in their own homes."
The investigation involved specialist LGBT+ community liaison officers and close work with the Met's LGBT+ Advisory Group and the charity GALOP. Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said this approach was crucial in building victim confidence and presenting stronger evidence, which led to the more serious charges of burglary and fraud.
The Metropolitan Police emphasised its commitment to ensuring all communities in London feel safe and to rebuilding trust within the LGBT+ community.
