Kolkata police have arrested Md Rehman (30) of Shambhu Chatterjee Street in connection with an online gay dating fraud that led to the extortion of a 21-year-old youth from Murshidabad.
According to police, the victim was allegedly confined for around four hours at Bornoporichoy Market near College Street on January 10. During this time, he was forced to hand over Rs 21,000, two gold rings, and a silver chain.
The complaint, registered at Jorasanko Police Station, revealed that the victim had met a man through a gay dating app. While talking on the second floor of Bornoporichoy Market, two other men arrived at around 12:15 am and threatened him, demanding money and threatening his life if he refused. The victim was coerced into transferring money via PhonePe.
Police said this case follows a pattern of similar incidents in Kolkata and across Bengal, where criminal groups use dating apps to target gay and bisexual men, posing as potential partners before robbing or assaulting them.
Authorities are examining digital trails, including app communications and transaction details, to identify and apprehend the remaining suspects. This is reportedly the seventh such case in the city in the past year.
