A professional who was duped by Afghan migrants on an LGBT dating app has revealed he allowed the pair into his home because he thought they were 'shy'.
Rahmat Khan Mohammadi, 22, and Bilal Hotak, 21, carried out 35 burglaries and 20 related scams, seizing phones, watches, passports and withdrawing money from bank accounts.
They messaged their victims on Grindr and arranged to meet them at their homes for the planned thefts, Isleworth Crown Court heard.
One victim, a 47-year-old man who lives in west London, spoke anonymously to the Daily Mail following Mohammadi and Hotak's conviction in November.
He explained one of the perpetrators - who 'looked like a white guy in the profile picture' - had sent him a message on Grindr in November last year.
On the way to his home, the fraudster asked if another friend could come too - once again showing a picture of somebody else.
The victim, who is a working professional, said: 'When they arrived, it didn't take more than half a second for me to realise they were not the same people.
'I was confused at why they had turned out to be different people because they weren't fat or ugly or whatever.
'I immediately linked them to either Afghanistan or Pakistan - though they spoke good English at the time.
'My analysis was they were either shy, inexperienced or embarrassed as some people can be discreet, especially from certain cultures. I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
'It didn't strike me that they might be criminals. I'm not on Grindr that much anyway really so I thought maybe it was inexperience on my part.'
David Patience, prosecuting, told jurors the men would arrange to meet their victims in their homes before getting them to unlock their phones to play music and distracting them by asking for a glass of water.
‘They would then steal the unlocked phones and rapidly leave the addresses,’ Mr Patience added.
The 47-year-old victim gave a similar account of events following the arrival of the two men at 1am.
'They immediately asked me if I wanted weed or drugs, and I said "sorry I don't".
'I started to feel a bit suspicious then that they might just be drug dealers who wanted to sell me something.
'The main guy - I'm not sure which one it was - kept insisting I go to the bathroom.
'Eventually I agreed to go just for 30 seconds and naively I left them there.
'My phone was unlocked because it was playing music and they took it and left.
'The front door was open and they had gone. Luckily they only managed to take my phone because my laptop was in the kitchen.
'I was shocked and distressed. It's very violating having someone in your place and then disappearing a minute later,' he said.
The working professional said he was pleasantly surprised police were able to track the culprits down.
However, he attributed their success to 'leads' provided by victims, such as via phone tracker apps.
'We live in a jungle to be honest, from a security and and safety point of view - this is London. I just have no faith in justice.
'A lot of people just don't have any awareness around our rules and regulations,' he said.
The victim added he was surprised to see that other people who had been tricked by the migrants at a police identity parade were also all professionals.
He said: 'You'd think people like us with good jobs wouldn't fall for something like this.
'I think people should be aware about the risks of allowing strangers into their place.'
After stealing the phones, the two men ‘attempted to use them to make online or contactless payments in large sums, sometimes being successful, sometimes not'.
On one occasion, they tried to take out money in an east London casino called Merkur Slots in Barking, jurors previously heard.
They also applied for bank overdrafts using their victims’ names.
Mohammadi, of Weald Lane, Harrow, denied but was convicted of 17 counts of burglary, 12 of fraud and one of theft.
Hotak, of Richmond Road, Hackney, denied but was convicted of 14 counts of burglary, nine of fraud and one of theft.
Superintendent Owen Renowden, the Met’s hate crime lead, 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.’
Rahmat Khan Mohammadi and Mohammed Bilal Hotak were jailed at Isleworth Crown Crown on December 22 for five years and three and a half years respectively.
s on how to sensitively investigate crimes pertaining to anonymous sex antics.
