Using matrimonial sites or dating websites to cheat innocent individuals is very common. But in a disturbing trend that has emerged in the Ahmedabad district of Gujarat, gay men are being targeted by criminals who pose as gays with malicious intentions to loot and blackmail them.
An exclusive report by Ahmedabad Mirror revealed a case in which a young gay individual fell victim to such a trap. On August 21st, a 32-year-old living in the Satellite area of the city reported to the Satellite Police station saying that he was robbed by a man who posed to belong to the LGBTQ+ community. Usually when such incidents happen gay victims choose to keep shut given the social pressures, but in this case, the victim bravely decided to report the case.
The victim in this case used the Grindr app, a special dating app for LGBTQ+ people. Through this app, he met a man who posed to be a gay individual. “About a fortnight ago, while browsing Grindr, an app specifically for the LGBTQ+ community, I met a guy who also claimed to be gay. We chatted, and he seemed nice and caring. About a week ago, he invited me to his house, which was in my neighborhood. I went there, but to my shock, there were four other young men present,” the victim said while talking to Ahmedabad Mirror.
The victim said that the accused men stripped him and began beating him after which they demanded Rs 1 lakh. They also threatened the victim to expose his sexual orientation in society if he failed to give Rs 1 lakh.
“I didn’t have that much money. They eventually settled for Rs 20,000. They took my ATM card, held me captive while still undressed, withdrew the money from a nearby ATM, and then let me go. They had taken pictures of me and threatened to make them viral if I reported the incident. What if my family finds out about my sexual orientation?” the victim said.
Past similar incidents from Ahmedabad
Notably, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred in Ahmedabad. As per activist Ayushi Shah who assists cybercrime victims, dominant men in society target submissive men and threaten them to be exposed in society. “Here, the dominant male exploits the submissive one, and if such elements are not exposed, it will become another trend of cybercrime that can reach dangerous proportions,” she was quoted as saying.
Earlier, in the year 2022, the Ahmedabad Police had arrested three accused men who had trapped and robbed a gay individual using a gay dating app. The incident also happened through the Grindr app. As per the police, the accused men had then confessed that they had trapped and robbed 15-20 more gay individuals using the same app.
Also, in the year 2019, the Ahmedabad Police arrested 5 persons for robbing a Gay individual for Rs 50,000 using a dating app. “The accused have confessed to have robbed many victims using the same modus operandi. The victims would book gay services using the Grindr App. No victim would go to lodge a complaint out of fear and social stigma,” the police then were quoted as saying.
The Grindr app then taking cognizance had declared a “zero-tolerance policy” against racism, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination and sought to reduce abusive behavior online. However, things hardly seem to have changed.
Million users stand at potential risk
Gay sexuality is no longer a crime in India, but the fear of being ostracized or ridiculed by society drives many members of the South Asian LGBT community to conceal their sexual status, making them easy targets for the unscrupulous.
Since launching in 2009, Grindr claims to have grown into the largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people. Millions of users today are associated with the app, facing the fear of becoming the next potential victim. Such incidents need detailed police probes assuring justice.
