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Three people have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad for allegedly using a gay dating app to lure people into sexual activity, filming the act and then blackmailing them for money. Rinku, Ajay and Shubham have been arrested and two accused are on the run.
According to police, they received a complaint in which a man said he connected with someone on Grindr, a gay dating app, and went to meet him at a flat. During their meeting, the two started getting intimate. Some other people, who were present in the flat, filmed them in the act. They then blackmailed the complainant and forced him to transfer Rs 1.40 lakh into an account. The victim later approached the police and registered a complaint.
Swatantra Kumar Singh, Assistant Police Commissioner, said they filed a case based on the complaint and started tracking the accused. "We received information that the accused would be near NDRF road today. We set up a checkpost and arrested the accused. Rinku is the mastermind of the gang. The other accused are Shubham and Ajay. Ajay had connected with the complainant and lured him to the flat. Two people are on the run and they will be arrested soon."
The senior police officer said they had seized three identity cards from Rinku describing him as an advocate. "We are investigating if they are fake," he said. Police have also seized three mobile phones and Rs 10,000 in cash.
Asked if the gang had targeted other people in the past, the officer said, "The owner of the rented flat told us that the accused moved in on January 2. They have admitted that they blackmailed some others too. We are investigating this."
Amid a surge in blackmail cases using dating platforms, the officer had a word of caution for the public. "If you are not careful in the virtual world, someone can hide their identity and target you like this. If you are talking to someone and becoming friends online, you must be cautious before trusting them," he said.