Noida: 4 arrested for extorting people met via dating app

Four men were arrested in Dadri, Greater Noida on Monday for allegedly extorting money from people after meeting them through a dating application, police said.

The accused were identified as Daksh aka Kaptan, 22, Bhupendra (single name), 23, Jai Raghav, 23, and Honey (single name), 21.

“On May 17, we received a complaint from a 26-year-old man who said that he met a man through a dating application. After a brief conversation, the accused came to meet the complainant near a housing society in Knowledge Park 2. The accused picked up the victim in his car. After driving a few metres, three men entered the car on the pretext of lift,” said a police officer requesting anonymity.

“The accused overpowered the victim at gunpoint and forced him to transfer ₹79,000 to them at a shop in Greater Noida. Later, they took him to another shop and forced him to transfer another ₹24,500. Then they left the victim while threatening him with dire consequences, and also said they would reveal his identity to the public if he dared to approach the police,” said additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) (Greater Noida) Sudhir Kumar.

Based on the victim’s complaint, a case under Section 309(4) (robbery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered, and teams were formed to catch the accused.

“With the help of electronic surveillance, the accused were arrested on Monday. During the investigation, it was revealed that they also duped a Hapur-based man of ₹25,000 and a gold chain. We are checking their previous crime records,” the officer added.

Police recovered a mobile phone costing ₹79,000, and an illegal country-made pistol from their possession. Further investigation is underway, police added.