Mumbai: Two men were allegedly threatened and robbed in separate incidents after developing friendships through a dating app in Powai. The incidents occurred on New Year’s Eve, and the police have registered two separate cases. In one of the cases, the accused allegedly posed as an IIT Bombay student to defraud the victim.
About The Case
According to the FIR, the first complainant, a 27-year-old man residing in Bhandup, had recently moved to Mumbai from Telangana in search of employment. He had created a profile on Grindr, a dating app primarily used by the LGBTQ+ community. On December 31 at around 12.30 am, he connected with a man on the app, exchanged messages and photographs, and was told that the person was an IIT Bombay student residing in a hostel.
The accused invited the complainant to meet near Amrut Bar on Saki Vihar Road in Powai. The victim reached the spot around 1.10 am by bike taxi. The accused then claimed that entry through the main gate was not allowed and led him through a narrow, dark lane near a pipeline. Shortly thereafter, two other men aged between 25 and 30 approached them and accused the complainant of being a thief.
The men allegedly held the complainant by the collar, searched his pockets, and forced him to open his Google Pay account. Finding insufficient balance, they allegedly compelled him to contact friends for money. The complainant later realised that the man he had met through the dating app was colluding with the other two. The victim's friend eventually transferred Rs 20,000 to a QR code provided by the accused, following which the complainant was released at around 4.30 am.
About The 2nd Incident
In the second incident, the complainant, a resident of Andheri East, works as a machine operator in a private company. On December 31, at around 8:30 pm, he began chatting on Grindr, a dating app primarily used by gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. He later had a video call with a person he met on the app.
After the conversation, the person asked the complainant to meet near the Chandivali bus stop. At around 9:30 pm, a man identifying himself as “Rishikesh” arrived on a motorcycle and took the complainant to an open area behind Hotel Express Inn on Vihar Lake Road.
There, three other young men aged between 20 and 22, who were already present, allegedly began verbally abusing the complainant. They threatened him by falsely accusing him of theft and drug possession and warned that they would inform the police. It is alleged that one of the accused held a broken beer bottle to the complainant’s stomach and threatened to kill him. The complainant later realised that “Rishikesh” was in collusion with the other three men.
The accused then checked the complainant’s mobile phone, examined his Google Pay balance, and allegedly planned to extort money from him. He was forced to contact relatives and friends for money, following which Rs 20,000 was transferred online through a mobile scanner. The accused released him at around 11:30 pm.
Both victims approached the Powai police, who registered two separate cases against unidentified persons on January 2 under Sections 309(4) (robbery) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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