Rent a partner for Garba? Ahmedabad police warn people of Navratri scam

With Navratri just around the corner, the now-viral ‘rent a partner’ posts have left people wondering whether it’s just a joke or an actual opportunity for singles. While some laughed it off and others even considered investing, Ahmedabad Police has now flagged the trend, warning that this might be a serious opportunity for fraudsters to loot people.

'Rent a partner’ for Navratri goes viral, Ahmedabad police sounds scam alert

With the festive season now almost in full swing, people are planning their days way ahead to have a blast in true sense. After all, what’s a festival for youngsters without good music, great company and, perhaps, someone you’re a little attracted to, right? But while Garba nights are all about community celebration and togetherness, some people may find themselves without a partner this year.

Feeding off of just that, some influencers, small and huge, have started posting  random posts where they offer a renting business. Now, what’s that being rented? It’s people and their time. You visit the page, choose a package and pay for a partner who will join you for Garba. They’ll dance with you and celebrate the festival by your side. 

The packages range from silver, gold, and platinum, each offering a different experience. The basic packages are priced between INR 500 and INR 2,000 for male partners, while female partners cost up to INR 3,000. According to the reports, the packages include two hours of companionship and Garba, along with matching outfits, selfies and dance-step tutorials. 

And now comes the twist in the story. These random posts might be something you should think of avoiding. Because Ahmedabad police have warned people against this and have pointed out that this might be nothing but a scam. 

Deputy commissioner of police, city cybercrime, Lavina Sinha said in a statement, “Many times, it can happen that there is no person at the end of these messages and it could be a scam,” She cautioned that people responding to such advertisements could receive unknown links or QR codes to make payments. In some cases, they may also be asked to click on a link or download an image or video to access photographs or other details. “There is a potential that this can be a scam link or a fraud link,” she said. 

At the end of the day, even though this effort might have been started with good intentions by some, a whirlpool of people are waiting for just these kinds of opportunities to exploit people.

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