A popular social networking app for gays, Grindr, has issued a warning to its users in Egypt after reports emerged that police are using fake accounts to persecute the LGBTQ+ community.

This warning pops up in Arabic and English whenever users in Egypt open the application.

“We have been alerted that Egyptian police is actively making arrests of gay, bi, and trans people on digital platforms. They are using fake accounts&nbsp;and have also taken over accounts from real community members who have already been arrested and had their phones taken.”

The alert from Grindr comes after a report from global NGO Human Rights Watch in February claimed that authorities in multiple countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Egypt, are using fake accounts to entrap and arrest LGBTQ people.

Though Egypt doesn’t technically outlaw homosexual relations, authorities have been accused of blindly using “public morality” or “debauchery” laws to arrest members of the LGBTQ+ community in the country. In a 2021 report, the US State Department acknowledged violence targeting the LGBTQ community in Egypt.

“LGBTQ people have long faced discrimination in Egypt, but police efforts have increased in recent weeks, Patrick Lenihan, head of global communications for Grindr, told The Washington Post on Friday.

He said that Grindr has sent similar warnings to users in 90 countries.

“[Grindr is] pushing international organizations and governments to demand justice and safety for the Egyptian LGBTQ community,” Lenihan was quoted as saying.

The California-based dating app&nbsp;recently came under heavy criticism in the US and was fined in Norway over its privacy policy. It has been accused of sharing personal data with third parties that could potentially identify users.

But the company maintains that its privacy policy aims to protect user data. It adds that its goal “is to put you in control of as much of the Personal Information that you share within the Grindr Properties as possible.”

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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A popular social networking app for gays, Grindr, has issued a warning to its users in Egypt after reports emerged that police are using fake accounts to persecute the LGBTQ+ community.

A popular social networking app for gays, Grindr, has issued a warning to its users in Egypt after reports emerged that police are using fake accounts to persecute the LGBTQ+ community. This warning pops up in Arabic and English whenever users in Egypt open the application. “We have been alerted that Egyptian police is actively making arrests of gay, bi, and trans people on digital platforms. They are using fake accounts and have also taken over accounts from real community members who have already been arrested and had their phones taken.” The alert from Grindr comes after a report from global NGO Human Rights Watch in February claimed that authorities in multiple countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Egypt, are using fake accounts to entrap and arrest LGBTQ people. Though Egypt doesn’t technically outlaw homosexual relations, authorities have been accused of blindly using “public morality” or “debauchery” laws to arrest members of the LGBTQ+ community in the country. In a 2021 report, the US State Department acknowledged violence targeting the LGBTQ community in Egypt. “LGBTQ people have long faced discrimination in Egypt, but police efforts have increased in recent weeks, Patrick Lenihan, head of global communications for Grindr, told The Washington Post on Friday. He said that Grindr has sent similar warnings to users in 90 countries. “[Grindr is] pushing international organizations and governments to demand justice and safety for the Egyptian LGBTQ community,” Lenihan was quoted as saying. The California-based dating app recently came under heavy criticism in the US and was fined in Norway over its privacy policy. It has been accused of sharing personal data with third parties that could potentially identify users. But the company maintains that its privacy policy aims to protect user data. It adds that its goal “is to put you in control of as much of the Personal Information that you share within the Grindr Properties as possible.” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Egyptian police using fake Grindr account to arrest LGBTQ+ community, says app

A priest from northwestern France has been charged with drugging and raping a 15-year-old boy whom he allegedly met on a homosexual dating app called Grindr, according to prosecutors and legal authorities.&nbsp;After the two met in Paris last week via Grindr, the priest from a small parish close to Rennes was accused of aggravated&nbsp;rape and drugging the minor. RTL radio said that the 50-year-old pastor offered the minor multiple drugs in a hotel room, including the ecstasy-derivative MDMA and a chemical that resembled GHB, a notorious narcotic often used in date rape. The minor&nbsp;fell&nbsp;ill later&nbsp;and alerted his friends.

The case is the latest in a string of sexual assault accusations&nbsp;that have severely tarnished&nbsp;the image of the church in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/olivier-giroud-makes-the-cut-as-france-announce-provisional-squad-for-fifa-world-cup-2022-532967">France</a>.&nbsp;The confessions of a cardinal earlier this week stunned French Catholics yet again after an investigation last year exposed the appalling extent of sexual abuse by priests in recent decades.

One of the most senior Catholic officials in France, Jean-Pierre Ricard, confessed to "reprehensible" conduct with a 14-year-old girl in the 1980s on Monday, prompting a court investigation. Church officials further disclosed that 10 other retired and working&nbsp;bishops were accused&nbsp;of sexual misconduct.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-suspends-plan-to-welcome-3500-refugees-currently-in-italy-interior-minister-533010">France suspends plan to welcome 3,500 refugees currently in Italy: Interior Minister</a>

As per the priest from Rennes, he frequently travelled to the capital to meet men&nbsp;for drug-fuelled hookups in hotels. He denied the rape accusation by asserting that the minor had stated he was older than 18 on his Grindr profile.&nbsp;

Also WATCH |&nbsp;Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka accused of rape

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"I can imagine how men and women will be outraged by this case," the archbishop of Rennes, Pierre d'Ornellas, said in a statement, adding that he had alerted the Vatican about the arrest and charges.

A church-led investigation&nbsp;that reported its findings in 2021, found that an estimated 216,000 minors had been sexually&nbsp;abused by clergy over the past seven decades.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

A priest from northwestern France has been charged with drugging and raping a 15-year-old boy whom he allegedly met on a homosexual dating app called Grindr, according to prosecutors and legal authorities.

A priest from northwestern France has been charged with drugging and raping a 15-year-old boy whom he allegedly met on a homosexual dating app called Grindr, according to prosecutors and legal authorities. After the two met in Paris last week via Grindr, the priest from a small parish close to Rennes was accused of aggravated rape and drugging the minor. RTL radio said that the 50-year-old pastor offered the minor multiple drugs in a hotel room, including the ecstasy-derivative MDMA and a chemical that resembled GHB, a notorious narcotic often used in date rape. The minor fell ill later and alerted his friends. The case is the latest in a string of sexual assault accusations that have severely tarnished the image of the church in France. The confessions of a cardinal earlier this week stunned French Catholics yet again after an investigation last year exposed the appalling extent of sexual abuse by priests in recent decades. One of the most senior Catholic officials in France, Jean-Pierre Ricard, confessed to "reprehensible" conduct with a 14-year-old girl in the 1980s on Monday, prompting a court investigation. Church officials further disclosed that 10 other retired and working bishops were accused of sexual misconduct. Also read | France suspends plan to welcome 3,500 refugees currently in Italy: Interior Minister As per the priest from Rennes, he frequently travelled to the capital to meet men for drug-fuelled hookups in hotels. He denied the rape accusation by asserting that the minor had stated he was older than 18 on his Grindr profile. Also WATCH | Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka accused of rape "I can imagine how men and women will be outraged by this case," the archbishop of Rennes, Pierre d'Ornellas, said in a statement, adding that he had alerted the Vatican about the arrest and charges. A church-led investigation that reported its findings in 2021, found that an estimated 216,000 minors had been sexually abused by clergy over the past seven decades. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Gay date-rape: French priest held for drugging and raping minor he met on Grindr app

Dating apps like Tinder, OkCupid, and Grindr are all the rage these days. Despite the fact that they make dating and meeting new people so easy, dating apps can also pose a privacy risk.

A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal has discovered a big privacy flaw in Grindr, an app that caters to gay, homosexual individuals.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/if-it-could-help-feed-the-planet-would-you-be-open-to-eating-vegetables-fertilised-with-human-pee-475762" hreflang="en">If it could help feed the planet, would you be open to eating vegetables fertilised with human pee?</a>

Users' location information from the app has been on sale for years.

The data has been available for roughly five years, since 2017, and the article indicates that past data may still be available. This is despite the fact that the corporation claims to have stopped sending location data to ad networks.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Online dating scams surge during the pandemic

Citing people familiar with the matter, the journal said that “The precise movements of millions of users of the gay-dating app Grindr were collected from a digital advertising network and made available for sale."

The data is believed to not contain personal information like names and phone numbers. The location data, however, allows users to infer things like specific users and romantic encounters based on their proximity to a particular location. A user's location data can also provide clues to their identity, such as their work and home addresses.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/gay-dating-app-grindr-disappears-from-chinas-app-stores-449251">Gay dating app Grindr disappears from China's app stores</a>

In 2020, a Norwegian consumer group also reported that apps like Grindr and OkCupid share personal information like user location and sexuality with approximately 100 businesses. These businesses use the data for advertising and marketing purposes.

Even today many are not open about their sexual orientation and in some places being gay still carries risk, so this breach of privacy can be very dangerous. Experts have expressed concern about the sharing of such data, with some calling it risky in extreme circumstances.

Watch WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

(With inputs from agencies)

Dating apps like Tinder, OkCupid, and Grindr are all the rage these days. Despite the fact that they make dating and meeting new people so easy, dating apps can also pose a privacy risk.

Dating apps like Tinder, OkCupid, and Grindr are all the rage these days. Despite the fact that they make dating and meeting new people so easy, dating apps can also pose a privacy risk. A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal has discovered a big privacy flaw in Grindr, an app that caters to gay, homosexual individuals. Also read | If it could help feed the planet, would you be open to eating vegetables fertilised with human pee? Users' location information from the app has been on sale for years. The data has been available for roughly five years, since 2017, and the article indicates that past data may still be available. This is despite the fact that the corporation claims to have stopped sending location data to ad networks. Watch | Gravitas: Online dating scams surge during the pandemic Citing people familiar with the matter, the journal said that “The precise movements of millions of users of the gay-dating app Grindr were collected from a digital advertising network and made available for sale." The data is believed to not contain personal information like names and phone numbers. The location data, however, allows users to infer things like specific users and romantic encounters based on their proximity to a particular location. A user's location data can also provide clues to their identity, such as their work and home addresses. Also read | Gay dating app Grindr disappears from China's app stores In 2020, a Norwegian consumer group also reported that apps like Grindr and OkCupid share personal information like user location and sexuality with approximately 100 businesses. These businesses use the data for advertising and marketing purposes. Even today many are not open about their sexual orientation and in some places being gay still carries risk, so this breach of privacy can be very dangerous. Experts have expressed concern about the sharing of such data, with some calling it risky in extreme circumstances. Watch WION LIVE HERE: (With inputs from agencies)

Private data of thousands of users of gay date app Grindr was on sale for years: Report

Amid China's attempt to clamp down on the internet, reports say Gay dating app Grindr has disappeared from app stores in the country.

The app was reportedly taken off last week. However, Grindr competitors are reportedly still available. The app is unavailable on iOS and Android app stores. China had decriminalised homosexuality in 1997 however same-sex marriages continue to be illegal in the country.

Google Play Store does not operate in China with Huawei and Tencent dominating the app marketplace. Ahead of the Winter Olympics, Chinese authorities had announced a crackdown on pornography and related web content.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ahead-of-lunar-new-year-and-winter-olympics-china-vows-to-purge-internet-447764">Also Read:&nbsp;Ahead of Lunar New Year and Winter Olympics, China vows to 'purge' internet</a>

China has introduced sweeping regulations to clean up the internet even as foreign companies including LinkedIn have&nbsp;pulled out of the country.&nbsp;Epic Games had also shut down its Chinese version of Fortnite last year.

Last week, Chinese internet regulators had issued a notice calling for the protection of minors against food products which reportedly contained hints of pornography marketed as "internet celebrity snacks".&nbsp;

Earlier this month, China's cybersecurity officials had directed app providers to abide by the nation's constitution and regulations and were forbidden to conduct activity which “endangering national security, disrupting social order, or infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of others.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-to-make-internet-giants-take-permission-before-raising-funds-investing-446014">Also Read:&nbsp;China to make internet giants take permission before raising funds, investing</a>

The draft regulation required users of instant message services and apps to authenticate their identity through mobile phones or identity cards.

In another move to regulate the web, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) had issued regulations targeting algorithm recommendations this month. Chinese regulators had earlier fined delivery platform Meituan $533.5 million for "monopolistic practices".

(With inputs from Agencies)

Amid China's attempt to clamp down on the internet, reports say Gay dating app Grindr has disappeared from app stores in the country. The app was reportedly taken off last week.

Amid China's attempt to clamp down on the internet, reports say Gay dating app Grindr has disappeared from app stores in the country. The app was reportedly taken off last week. However, Grindr competitors are reportedly still available. The app is unavailable on iOS and Android app stores. China had decriminalised homosexuality in 1997 however same-sex marriages continue to be illegal in the country. Google Play Store does not operate in China with Huawei and Tencent dominating the app marketplace. Ahead of the Winter Olympics, Chinese authorities had announced a crackdown on pornography and related web content. Also Read: Ahead of Lunar New Year and Winter Olympics, China vows to 'purge' internet China has introduced sweeping regulations to clean up the internet even as foreign companies including LinkedIn have pulled out of the country. Epic Games had also shut down its Chinese version of Fortnite last year. Last week, Chinese internet regulators had issued a notice calling for the protection of minors against food products which reportedly contained hints of pornography marketed as "internet celebrity snacks". Earlier this month, China's cybersecurity officials had directed app providers to abide by the nation's constitution and regulations and were forbidden to conduct activity which “endangering national security, disrupting social order, or infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of others.” Also Read: China to make internet giants take permission before raising funds, investing The draft regulation required users of instant message services and apps to authenticate their identity through mobile phones or identity cards. In another move to regulate the web, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) had issued regulations targeting algorithm recommendations this month. Chinese regulators had earlier fined delivery platform Meituan $533.5 million for "monopolistic practices". (With inputs from Agencies)

Gay dating app Grindr disappears from China's app stores

Smartphone dating app Grindr faces a record 100-million-kroner (9.6-million-euro) fine in Norway for illegally sharing user data with third parties, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority said on Tuesday.

Grindr, which claims to be "the world's largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people", is accused of sharing its users' GPS coordinates, user profile data and the fact that the user is on Grindr, for marketing purposes.

"Our preliminary conclusion is that Grindr has shared user data to a number of third parties without legal basis," Data Protection Authority director general Bjorn Erik Thon said in a statement.

According to the authority, this violates the European Union's GDPR, or data protection rules, on valid consent that were introduced in May 2018.

The authority therefore decided to notify Grindr that it will be fined around 10 percent of its global turnover, or about $10 million, an unprecedented fine in the Nordic country.

The Norwegian Consumer Council, which had filed the initial legal complaint against Grindr, hailed the announcement as a "historic victory for privacy."

Grindr has until February 15 to challenge the decision.

The wrongdoing it is accused of took place before April 2020, when the app changed its user consent terms.

In January 2020, the Norwegian Consumer Council filed legal complaints against Grindr and five other apps, including Twitter-controlled MoPub, for violating personal data protection rules.

The other complaints are still being examined, the Data Protection Authority said.

Smartphone dating app Grindr faces a record 100-million-kroner (9.6-million-euro) fine in Norway for illegally sharing user data with third parties, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority said on Tuesday.

Smartphone dating app Grindr faces a record 100-million-kroner (9.6-million-euro) fine in Norway for illegally sharing user data with third parties, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority said on Tuesday. Grindr, which claims to be "the world's largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people", is accused of sharing its users' GPS coordinates, user profile data and the fact that the user is on Grindr, for marketing purposes. "Our preliminary conclusion is that Grindr has shared user data to a number of third parties without legal basis," Data Protection Authority director general Bjorn Erik Thon said in a statement. According to the authority, this violates the European Union's GDPR, or data protection rules, on valid consent that were introduced in May 2018. The authority therefore decided to notify Grindr that it will be fined around 10 percent of its global turnover, or about $10 million, an unprecedented fine in the Nordic country. The Norwegian Consumer Council, which had filed the initial legal complaint against Grindr, hailed the announcement as a "historic victory for privacy." Grindr has until February 15 to challenge the decision. The wrongdoing it is accused of took place before April 2020, when the app changed its user consent terms. In January 2020, the Norwegian Consumer Council filed legal complaints against Grindr and five other apps, including Twitter-controlled MoPub, for violating personal data protection rules. The other complaints are still being examined, the Data Protection Authority said.

Grindr faces USD 10mn fine in Norway for illegal data sharing

LGBTQ dating app Grindr&nbsp;will remove the "ethnicity filter" from the next version of its app, showing solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement against&nbsp;police brutality against black women and men.

The app currently lets people filter potential matches according to their age, height, weight and ethnicity.

Announcing the change, Grindr said it had a "zero-tolerance policy for racism and hate speech" on its platform.

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We will not be silent. Black Lives Matter. <a href="https://t.co/K671PrwJc0">https://t.co/K671PrwJc0</a> <a href="https://t.co/93ninYt2u9">pic.twitter.com/93ninYt2u9</a>
— Grindr (@Grindr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Grindr/status/1267535069834473473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Several companies have posted messages of their own featuring the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter following&nbsp;six consecutive days of protests across the United States.

The events were sparked by the killing of George Floyd - a black man who died after a white officer continued kneeling on is neck even after he had pleaded that he could not breathe.

While some Grindr users welcomed the removal of the filter, others said the company had taken too long to implement the change, and had done the "bare minimum".

The ethnicity filters have been controversial for years, but they went unchanged even as Grindr launched&nbsp;an anti-racism campaign&nbsp;on the platform in 2018.

Grindr is not the only LGBT dating app to allow filtering by race. Other apps, including The League and Hinge, allow users to filter out people of certain ethnicities as well.

However, the spotlight will now move to others that have yet to take a similar stance.

<figure>&nbsp;</figure>

&nbsp;

LGBTQ dating app Grindr will remove the "ethnicity filter" from the next version of its app, showing solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality against black women and men.

LGBTQ dating app Grindr will remove the "ethnicity filter" from the next version of its app, showing solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality against black women and men. The app currently lets people filter potential matches according to their age, height, weight and ethnicity. Announcing the change, Grindr said it had a "zero-tolerance policy for racism and hate speech" on its platform. We will not be silent. Black Lives Matter. https://t.co/K671PrwJc0 pic.twitter.com/93ninYt2u9 — Grindr (@Grindr) June 1, 2020 × Several companies have posted messages of their own featuring the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter following six consecutive days of protests across the United States. The events were sparked by the killing of George Floyd - a black man who died after a white officer continued kneeling on is neck even after he had pleaded that he could not breathe. While some Grindr users welcomed the removal of the filter, others said the company had taken too long to implement the change, and had done the "bare minimum". The ethnicity filters have been controversial for years, but they went unchanged even as Grindr launched an anti-racism campaign on the platform in 2018. Grindr is not the only LGBT dating app to allow filtering by race. Other apps, including The League and Hinge, allow users to filter out people of certain ethnicities as well. However, the spotlight will now move to others that have yet to take a similar stance.

Dating app Grindr to remove ethnicity filter in solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement

Around 50 senior executives of Delhi NCR-based companies fell victim to a racket that spanned three months and tangled 150 people in its web.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-gay-dating-app-halts-registration-after-underage-hiv-report-188529">Also read: Chinese gay dating app halts registration after underage HIV report</a>

The cornerstone to this fraudulent scheme was a social networking app called Grindr, which is designed to accommodate gay, bisexual and transgender people who were reportedly blackmailed with intimate pictures.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/tech-it-out-love-in-the-age-of-online-dating-178254/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Targets of the racket were allegedly contacted through the app and dates were arranged after befriending them on isolated stretches of the Western Peripheral Expressway and Southern Peripheral Road in Gurugram.

Most victims were reportedly ambushed in their cars by the gang members, beaten up, photographed in the nude and robbed of their belongings.

The operation involving six men was busted in November after a decoy was sent to meet one of the members on Southern Peripheral Road following a complaint by a victim. Four of the culprits were arrested post-haste while two are still at large.

80 of the 150 victims have been tracked down by local law enforcement in the last three months, though the investigation is far from over. No response has been available from the US-based company Grindr on its horrifying misuse on Indians from the LGBTQ community.

The modus operandi for this crew involved striking friendship on the app and calling the victims to Sector 29 where one of the two members of the gang would meet the victim, chosen on account of their looks.

Most victims failed to realise that the person was different from the picture in the app or probably didn’t mind the difference. The stigma attached to same-sex relationships runs deep within India, even though such bonds are not illegal. Many of the senior executives who fell victims to this were married and had children, and could therefore not come out yet.

Victims would then be coerced to take a drive along the Southern Peripheral Road and Western Peripheral Expressway where police presence is low and the streets are improperly lit. Following them were the gang, who would ambush the two once they started performing a sexual act.

Gang members surrounded the parked cars and threatened the couple with a pistol, following which they clicked pictures and forced them to hand over their belongings. Victims threatened by the idea of their nude photos and videos being posted on several websites would hand over cash, laptops, watches and even transferred money into different accounts.

Most victims returned home and spent restless nights allegedly being blackmailed by the gang to transfer more money into specific accounts. Many could not disclose their predicament to their families or friends, for few would have understood.

Most victims the police reached out to were hesitant to discuss the matter and feared to take any legal action. Local law enforcement collected details and contact numbers of more victims after they had sufficient evidence of the gang's activities.

One officer set up a meeting in Sector 29 from where the suspect took him to the Southern Peripheral Expressway, where the police arrested the four men. The arrested goons admitted to robbing and assaulting around 150 people in three months.

Fears of their intimate images being on several electronic devices to be used for blackmail on a later date is rampant among the victims of this racket, who feel that Grindr has disrupted their personal lives and embarrassed them socially.

Law enforcement branches are determined to identify similar cases and are appealing to citizens with any information to contact the police.&nbsp;

The police were keen to identify more people involved in similar cases and were appealing to residents with any information to contact the police.

“We want to urge people who use these online dating applications not to share their details with strangers and not to meet them in isolated places; they should meet at public places,” said Police Commissioner Muhammad Akil in a statement.

Around 50 senior executives of Delhi NCR-based companies fell victim to a racket that spanned three months and tangled 150 people in its web. Also read: Chinese gay dating app halts registration after underage HIV report The cornerstone to this fraudulent scheme was a social networking app called Grindr, which is designed to accommodate gay, bisexual and transgender people who were reportedly blackmailed with intimate pictures.

Around 50 senior executives of Delhi NCR-based companies fell victim to a racket that spanned three months and tangled 150 people in its web. Also read: Chinese gay dating app halts registration after underage HIV report The cornerstone to this fraudulent scheme was a social networking app called Grindr, which is designed to accommodate gay, bisexual and transgender people who were reportedly blackmailed with intimate pictures. Targets of the racket were allegedly contacted through the app and dates were arranged after befriending them on isolated stretches of the Western Peripheral Expressway and Southern Peripheral Road in Gurugram. Most victims were reportedly ambushed in their cars by the gang members, beaten up, photographed in the nude and robbed of their belongings. The operation involving six men was busted in November after a decoy was sent to meet one of the members on Southern Peripheral Road following a complaint by a victim. Four of the culprits were arrested post-haste while two are still at large. 80 of the 150 victims have been tracked down by local law enforcement in the last three months, though the investigation is far from over. No response has been available from the US-based company Grindr on its horrifying misuse on Indians from the LGBTQ community. The modus operandi for this crew involved striking friendship on the app and calling the victims to Sector 29 where one of the two members of the gang would meet the victim, chosen on account of their looks. Most victims failed to realise that the person was different from the picture in the app or probably didn’t mind the difference. The stigma attached to same-sex relationships runs deep within India, even though such bonds are not illegal. Many of the senior executives who fell victims to this were married and had children, and could therefore not come out yet. Victims would then be coerced to take a drive along the Southern Peripheral Road and Western Peripheral Expressway where police presence is low and the streets are improperly lit. Following them were the gang, who would ambush the two once they started performing a sexual act. Gang members surrounded the parked cars and threatened the couple with a pistol, following which they clicked pictures and forced them to hand over their belongings. Victims threatened by the idea of their nude photos and videos being posted on several websites would hand over cash, laptops, watches and even transferred money into different accounts. Most victims returned home and spent restless nights allegedly being blackmailed by the gang to transfer more money into specific accounts. Many could not disclose their predicament to their families or friends, for few would have understood. Most victims the police reached out to were hesitant to discuss the matter and feared to take any legal action. Local law enforcement collected details and contact numbers of more victims after they had sufficient evidence of the gang's activities. One officer set up a meeting in Sector 29 from where the suspect took him to the Southern Peripheral Expressway, where the police arrested the four men. The arrested goons admitted to robbing and assaulting around 150 people in three months. Fears of their intimate images being on several electronic devices to be used for blackmail on a later date is rampant among the victims of this racket, who feel that Grindr has disrupted their personal lives and embarrassed them socially. Law enforcement branches are determined to identify similar cases and are appealing to citizens with any information to contact the police. The police were keen to identify more people involved in similar cases and were appealing to residents with any information to contact the police. “We want to urge people who use these online dating applications not to share their details with strangers and not to meet them in isolated places; they should meet at public places,” said Police Commissioner Muhammad Akil in a statement.

Thugs used online dating app 'Grindr' to rob CEOs of Delhi-NCR

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