Surat man lured through gay dating app, assaulted and extorted; two held

Surat: A 40-year-old fruit vendor was allegedly targeted through a gay dating app, lured to an under-construction building in Varachha, and assaulted by three people, who robbed him of ₹4,500 in cash, his mobile phone, and allegedly transferred another ₹1,000 from his Google Pay account.

Varachha police have registered an FIR and arrested two accused, while the third is a minor. According to the complaint, the victim had downloaded the Polo Gay Dating app about one-and-a-half months ago and had been chatting with users on the platform. Police said the main accused, Sushant Verma, befriended the victim through the app and allegedly promised to pursue a relationship.

On June 28, Verma asked the victim to meet him near a school in Varachha. After meeting, he allegedly took the victim to Orange Park and led him to the fifth floor of an under-construction building, where two other persons were waiting. The trio then allegedly attacked the victim with kicks, punches, and a fibre pipe before demanding money. Threatening him with further assault, they allegedly forced him to hand over ₹4,500 in cash. They also snatched his mobile phone and allegedly transferred ₹1,000 from his Google Pay account.

The victim later informed his family about the incident and approached the police to lodge a complaint, after which two accused, Sushant Verma and Somraj Gameti, were arrested, while the third accused, a minor, was also detained.

During the investigation, police found that the accused had allegedly trapped another person through the same dating app and extorted ₹30,000 from him. Police are now investigating whether the group was involved in similar crimes targeting other victims.