Dating App Trap: Gang Invites Victims to Meet, Robs Them on Pune-Nagar Highway
Pune rural police nab a gang involved in blackmailing and robbing victims through a dating app.
Pune rural police have arrested a group of criminals who used a dating app to trap and rob unsuspecting individuals. The gang operated by luring people through the app, inviting them to meet on the Pune-Nagar highway, and then threatening and robbing them. Additionally, they would take compromising pictures of their victims to blackmail them.
The police investigation revealed that this gang, based near Nagpur, had robbed at least four individuals. The accused, identified as Sushant Popat Nagre, Mayur Raju Gaikwad and Shreyas Bhausaheb Angre, were involved in five criminal activities, primarily targeting people in the Shikrapur area. Their modus operandi involved forcing their victims into a car, assaulting them and stealing their mobile phones. In one instance, when the accused stepped out to get water, the victim managed to escape and reported the incident to the Shikrapur police.
Further investigation uncovered that the gang used Grindr to connect with strangers, inviting them to a location, and then intimidating them by taking incriminating photos. The accused have committed at least three such crimes in the Shikrapur area and one in the Lonikand area, extorting approximately ₹80,000 in total. The police are now actively searching for additional victims. It was also revealed that two prior cases had been registered against Mayur Gaikwad and one against Sushant Nagre in Ahmednagar district.