Mumbai: Powai police have arrested a gang involved in robbing young men by luring them through a same-sex (homosexual) dating application. According to police, the gang would download same-sex dating apps on their mobile phones, chat with young men through the app, call them to isolated places, and then rob them.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Nilesh Rajendra Salve (21), Rahul Singh Tirwa (25) and Sahil Sonawane (23). Police suspect that other accomplices may also be involved. The gang resides near the IIT Market area in Powai. Several complaints of robberies had been lodged at the Powai Police Station since September, with the victims being young men aged between 20 and 22. The gang would lure the victims to deserted locations, threaten them with a knife, assault them, and steal their gold ornaments, cash, or forcefully transfer money from their UPI accounts to their own.
According to the police, “We had received three complaints related to this matter. All of them involved similar robbery methods. As this case was serious, the Crime Investigation Team technically traced the gang and detained these three persons from Powai area and interrogated them thoroughly. They confessed to the crime", said a police official.
When the mobile phones of the three arrested persons were checked, a 'homosexual application' (gay app) was found in the mobile phones of these three men. Through this application, the accused pretended to be homosexual and chatted with them and invited them to meet, and then threatened the young men with a knife and robbed them.
The Powai police have arrested the three accused and filed charges of robbery and fraud against them.
