Police arrest gang members for extorting money from LGBTQ community

Police arrested two members of a gang in Gurugram for duping at least 200 people via a mobile dating app for the LGBTQ community. The gang posed as police officers and journalists to extort huge sums of money from their victims. The gang was active from 2020 and has cheated hundreds of people in Delhi, Jaipur, Belgaum in Karnataka, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, etc.

Updated on: Jun 16, 2023, 23:11:54 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Gurugram: Police arrested two members of a gang from Rajasthan on Thursday for allegedly duping at least 200 people via a mobile dating app for the LGBTQ community. As per police, the suspects posed as police officers and journalists to hoodwink their victims.

Police arrest gang members for extorting money from LGBTQ community

Police said the suspects targeted their victims on the dating app and extorted huge sums of money from them.

Police said they had arrested a gang member, identified as Sunil Kumar from Jaipur on June 5, and after interrogating him, they tracked the two other suspects. As per police, the gang was active from 2020.

Varun Dahiya, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said they received a complaint from a city-based resident on June 4, who said three suspects had extorted ₹50,000 from him through a gay dating app for escort services.

“The suspects called him to Cyber Park in Sector 39 and made him sit in a Swift Dzire car and introduced themselves as police officers. They threatened to send him to jail for giving escort services,” ACP Dahiya said.

ACP Dahiya said another suspect introduced himself as a senior police officer and demanded ₹1 lakh from him and threatened to send him to jail in case of non-payment. “The victim transferred ₹50,000 from his brother’s account and assured them he will pay the remaining amount in a few days. The suspects threatened to kill him if they did not receive the remaining amount,” he said.

Nitish Agarwal, deputy commissioner of police (east), said that after interrogating Kumar, police teams raided locations in Jaipur and arrested two more suspects on Thursday.

The suspects were identified as Mohit Kumar Tank (29), of Jaipur and Devkinandan (37), of Madhya Pradesh, police said.

ACP Dahiya said the suspects have revealed that they have cheated hundreds of people in Delhi, Jaipur, Belgaum in Karnataka, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, etc.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More