The Pune police have registered an FIR in opposition to a gaggle of unidentified males for allegedly blackmailing a 24-year-old homosexual man to pay Rs 1.09 lakh between August final 12 months and January this 12 months after befriending him on a relationship software.
The First Info Report was registered after Anil Ukrande, Shruti Mori, and Vaidehi Varhade of YUTAK LGBTQ Belief met Ranjankumar Sharma, Joint Commissioner of Police, and raised the difficulty.
Talking to The Indian Categorical, Ukrande stated, “The younger man, who works within the IT sector, had fallen into the entice… One accused had picked up the sufferer from Kharadi in his automobile and as soon as they travelled out of Pune, round three to 4 different males boarded the automobile. The group threatened to reveal the sexuality of the person to his dad and mom and at his office if he didn’t give them cash.”
The accused additionally threatened to kill the sufferer if he disclosed the incident to anybody. The sufferer didn’t get his criticism registered on the native police station in January, and, thereafter, approached Ukrande and his NGO.
“We requested him to jot down a criticism to the commissioner of police on this regard. Nevertheless, no motion was taken following which we approached the joint commissioner to hunt his assist,” Ukrande stated.
Ukrande stated they’ve observed a rise within the variety of instances of homosexual males being focused by means of relationship apps. “In some instances, the sufferer is scared to strategy the police and strategy us as an alternative,” he added.
A number of instances have been reported in Pune up to now wherein folks have been attacked, blackmailed, sexually abused, and robbed by individuals they’d met on varied relationship purposes. Final month, one other Pune man was attacked and robbed of his gold chain by a suspect whom he befriended on a relationship app for LGBTQ individuals. The Pune police subsequently arrested two suspects within the case.
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A police officer, who lately investigated such a case, stated, “Probes counsel that these suspects register on the relationship software just for the aim of concentrating on folks on this method. In lots of instances, persons are afraid of coming ahead with complaints, particularly within the instances of LGBTQ relationship purposes.”
“We’re making an attraction to folks to train warning whereas utilizing the relationship software, particularly whereas assembly folks in particular person. We’re additionally urging folks to come back ahead and report these crimes in order that the perpetrators may be caught,” the officer added.
