Agra Police have arrested eight individuals belonging to two separate gangs for allegedly using dating applications to lure men, hold them captive, physically assault them, and extort money by threatening to circulate obscene videos. The arrests were announced on Saturday.
First Incident: Software Engineer Targeted on Grindr
A case was registered at the Ekta police station after a 25-year-old software engineer from Agra, currently employed in Hyderabad, filed a complaint. He stated that he had befriended a man on the dating app Grindr. On Thursday, he was allegedly taken in a car to an isolated area near Ring Road, where he was assaulted, stripped, and filmed under objectionable circumstances. The accused then threatened to share the videos online and demanded Rs 2 lakh. The victim was forced to pay Rs 1.04 lakh via online transfer. The following day, the same gang contacted him again, demanding an additional Rs 50,000.
An FIR was registered under sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 309(6) (robbery), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Four accused—Suraj Thakur, Saurabh Yadav, Naman Yadav, and Abhishek Yadav—were arrested. Police recovered a car, two motorcycles, a mobile phone, and cash from them. The accused have confessed to the crime, police said.
Second Incident: Man Lured via Polo App
In another case registered at the Tajganj police station, a 30-year-old man alleged that he was contacted through the Polo app and invited to a hotel. Four men waiting there allegedly held him captive, assaulted him, and threatened to kill him unless he transferred money. The victim transferred Rs 14,000 via a QR code before being released.
Third Incident: Another Grindr Victim
The following morning, another man was similarly targeted through Grindr by the same group and was allegedly forced to pay Rs 4,900. Four accused—Someshwar Singh, Tarun Kumar, Saqib, and Shakeel—were arrested. Police seized five mobile phones and a car from them.
Police Warning and Investigation
ADCP Agra (Crime) Himanshu Gaurav stated, “We are taking such organised cyber-enabled extortion cases very seriously. The accused allegedly misused social networking and dating platforms to trap victims, extort money, and threaten them. We urge citizens to exercise caution while meeting strangers through online apps and immediately inform police if they face any threat, blackmail, or suspicious activity. Strict legal action will be ensured against those involved in such crimes.”
