Gay Dating App Gang Arrested in Bengaluru for Luring and Robbing Young Men

Bengaluru police have busted a dangerous gang that was trapping innocent men through gay dating apps, threatening them, and robbing them of cash and valuables.

About two months ago, the accused made contact with a young man via the Grindr gay dating app, befriended him, and lured him to Vasavi Layout near Kallubalu village in Anekal Taluk on the outskirts of Bengaluru — a deserted locality — where they assaulted him and stole his belongings. Officers from Jigani police station have now succeeded in arresting the accused. Two other members of the gang were found to be minors and have been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.

The complainant, a resident of Banavasi in South Bengaluru Taluk, told police: "I used the Grindr app on my mobile phone. During a chat, one person asked to meet me and directed me to Vasavi Layout in Kallubalu village. When I arrived, he took me by motorbike to a eucalyptus grove. Three strangers were already waiting there. They surrounded me, brandished a beer bottle, and threatened to kill me. They transferred ₹45,000 from my mobile phone via Google Pay, snatched a gold ring from my finger, and fled."

After registering the complaint at Jigani Police Station, investigators discovered that the gang had been operating systematically: they created fake profiles on gay apps to contact young men, spent a few days building trust, and then invited victims to deserted areas around Anekal under the pretext of a same-sex rendezvous. Once the victim arrived, the gang would surround and threaten him — in some cases forcibly stripping him — before robbing him of cash, mobile phones, gold rings, necklaces, and other valuables.

By tracking the accused's movements and analysing technical evidence, a crime branch team led by Jigani Police Station Inspector Naveen Kumar conducted a targeted operation and placed the suspects under arrest.