Two held in Surat for meeting youth via Grindr and extorting money

Surat: The Crime Branch has arrested two individuals for blackmailing a 26-year-old man after meeting him through the dating app Grindr. The accused lured the youth to Varachha and then blackmailed him into transferring Rs. 17,110 via Google Pay.

According to reports, the 26-year-old man, originally from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and currently working as an embroiderer in the Matawadi area, had downloaded the gay dating app Grindr to meet and interact with people similar to him.

On July 12, the victim began chatting with a profile named Hitesh Bariyah. Hitesh called him at 2 a.m. and asked to meet. They agreed to meet near Gopal Shoes at Varachha Maruti Chowk in the morning. Hitesh arrived around 12:30 p.m. and took the youth to a house on the 4th floor of Sheri No. 32 in Ghanshyam Nagar. While the youth and Hitesh were there, three other individuals arrived, accused the victim of wrongdoing, and threatened him to transfer Rs. 17,110 via Google Pay.

Following the incident, the victim filed a complaint with the Varachha police. The police had previously arrested the accused Hitesh Bariyah and Nitin Bariyah. On Monday, the Crime Branch arrested two additional suspects: Vanraj alias VK Khasia (age 21, resident of Bharatnagar near Maruti Chowk, Varachha, originally from Amreli) and Mitha Sauthabhai Makwana (age 28, resident of Bharatnagar, Varachha, originally from Amreli). They were apprehended at the gate of Parvat Patiya, Amazia Water Park. DeshGujarat