Three individuals were arrested in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly using a gay dating app to trap men, secretly recording their intimate encounters, and blackmailing them for money.
The suspects used Grindr to initiate conversations with men, luring them with promises of sexual meetings. They invited victims to a rented apartment, where they were held captive, filmed in compromising situations, and coerced into paying large sums of money under threat of violence and legal repercussions.
The case came to light after one victim filed a complaint, revealing he was tricked into visiting the flat, where he was filmed in an explicit video. The gang then extorted Rs 1.40 lakh through multiple transactions.
ACP Swatantra Kumar from Kavi Nagar reported that during questioning, the suspects admitted to using Grindr to target young men. “They would show obscene videos to build trust, then invite the victim to a flat. Once inside, additional gang members would enter, threaten the victim, and forcefully record videos to blackmail them,” Kumar explained.
The police investigation also uncovered that one of the main accused, Rinku, was in possession of bar association IDs from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Authorities are working to confirm whether these IDs are authentic.
The arrested individuals, identified as Rinku, Ajay, and Shubham alias Samrat, have been implicated in similar crimes, with more gang members currently on the run. Police have advised the public to exercise caution when interacting with strangers online, especially on social and dating platforms.
