Noida: Two men use gay dating app to rob over 12 people; arrested after gunfight with cops – Times Now

October 11, 2021 News Editor

Two men use gay dating app to rob 12 people [Representative image]& | &nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspiStock Images

Key Highlights

The accused robbed more than 12 people, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police nabbed the accused following a shootout in Noida Sector 58.

The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the IPC and the IT Act.

Noida: The Noida Police on Sunday arrested two men who allegedly befriended people on a gay dating application, lured them to secluded places and then robbed them. The two accused — Amit and Deepanshu — were nabbed following a shootout in Noida Sector 58.

The police, after receiving a tip-off, laid a trap near Jaipuria Institute of Management to nab the accused. The cops saw the duo on a bike without a number plate. On being signalled to stop, the two opened fire and attempted to flee. Deepanshu suffered a gunshot injury in retaliatory firing by the police. He was arrested while Amit fled. A combing operation later led to Amit’s arrest.

ADCP Ranvijay Singh said the accused, both residents of Greater Noida’s Badalpur area, used Blued app, a gay dating application, to lure and rob victims. “They would usually call their victims at some secluded place and snatch their valuables and other belongings. They were also involved in various crimes including snatching, theft and others,” a report by The Times of India quoted Singh as saying.

A case has been registered against the accused under Section 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. A stolen bike, nine mobiles and a country-made gun are the recoveries made by the police from the accused.

This comes months after a youngster was allegedly assaulted, forced into having unnatural sex and blackmailed for money by four men who lured him via Grindr, a dating application for trans, gay and bisexual people.

The victim got in touch with one Gautam (20) through the dating application. As their bond grew, Gautam called the youngster to meet him at a paying guest facility in Beta ll Sector, where he was employed as a caretaker. When the youth arrived at the PG, Gautam and the three other men allegedly thrashed him, compelled him to have unnatural sex with them and filmed the act on their mobile phone. Thereafter, they demanded Rs 2 lakh from the youth on the threat that they would circulate the video on social media if he failed or refused to pay them. The victim lodged a police complaint, following which the accused were arrested.