Azamgarh police have unearthed a case of loot and assault through a gay dating app. The miscreant Meraj who used to call vulnerable victims through the homosexual dating app and rob them has been arrested after the encounter. The police have recovered a bike, eight mobiles, and ammunition from the culprit. However, Zeeshan, one of the accomplices of Meraj, has fled taking the advantage of the darkness.
The modus operandi of these involved a homosexual dating app. The police have said that on 6th February 2022, information was received at Maharajganj police station that unidentified miscreants had robbed the bike and phone from a man. A lawsuit was also registered in this case. Following this, the police swung into action and tracked down Meraj and his associate. On March 16, Azamgarh police shared that Meraj has been injured in a police encounter and that he was wanted in multiple cases of robbery.
Use of gay dating app to call and trap the victims
According to district SP Anurag Aarya, “The accused told during interrogation that he along with his gang members used to carry out robberies at night. For this, they would use the Blued app. It’s a dating app for gay people. Through this, people were contacted and the miscreants used to call them to a deserted place for meeting. After the victims reached the said place, his mobile and money, and other valuables would be taken away.”
He further said, “The accused said that in November 2021, along with Danish, he had also committed a robbery in the Mau district. In the last three months, more than two dozen people have fallen victim to the robbers. The accused say that the victim did not even tell the police out of shame. The arrested accused is being sent to jail. The search for his associates is on.”