Four held for kidnapping, extorting man lured via dating app in Gurugram

Police said the accused assaulted the victim near Kasan hills and forced an online transfer after abducting him in a car.

Four men were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping a 22-year-old man, assaulting him and forcing him to transfer money after allegedly luring him to a meet up via a dating application in Gurugram, police said on Wednesday.

Investigators said the accused allegedly committed the crime to arrange money for drug consumption and used a rented car. (File photo)

According to police, the complainant, who lives on rent in Kasan village near Manesar, stated that he was standing outside his accommodation around 12.15am on Monday when four men in a white Maruti Suzuki Swift intercepted him and forced him to get inside.

Police said the accused drove the victim to an isolated area near the Kasan hills, where they allegedly assaulted him and demanded ₹50,000, threatening to kill him if he failed to pay.

Investigators said the accused snatched the victim’s mobile phone, obtained its password and forcibly transferred ₹2,500 through an online payment scanner before the complainant managed to escape and approach police. Officials said the accused had first contacted the victim through a dating application and used the interaction to lure him into meeting them.

An FIR was registered at IMT Manesar Sector-7 police station under Sections 140 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder or for ransom), 308 (extortion), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 127 (wrongful confinement) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police said a crime branch team later arrested the four accused, aged between 19 and 25, all residents of Haryana. The car used in the crime had allegedly been rented from Charkhi Dadri, while the transferred money was routed to one accused’s bank account.

During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted they committed the crime to arrange money for drug consumption. Police said the four will be produced before a court and taken on remand for further interrogation.