Film technician robbed off Rs 27,000 while meeting friend from dating app; four including minor held

CHENNAI: A 56-year-old man who went to meet a friend he got acquainted through Grindr app was threatened under knifepoint and robbed of Rs 27,000 by an eight-member gang in Vadapalani ten days ago.

Police have arrested four youths including a minor in connection with the incident.

The victim, Kumar (name changed) works as a sound engineer in film industry, police said.

According to his complaint, he got acquainted with a man through the social networking app and was talking with him regularly. On the insistence of the new friend, Kumar planned for a meet up and the two of them first met near the Vadapalani temple tank last Saturday night.

The friend said that his original name is Madhavan and told Kumar that his house was nearby and said that they can spend time at the house. When they were at the house, Madhavan had made a phone call after which three persons barged into the house.

The new entrants threatened Kumar with a knife and abused him asking if he was trying to misbehave with Madhavan and demanded money from him.

When Kumar claimed that he did not carry any money with him, they threatened him to ask his friends. Four others joined the gang and the group rounded up Kumar and threatened that they would harm him.

Kumar made frantic calls to his friends who transferred money through Gpay. One of the gang members then snatched Kumar's phone and transferred the money to another number and the gang members fled the scene threatening Kumar to not share about the incident.

After discussions with friends, Kumar filed a complaint with Vadapalani Police. On Monday, Police arrested S Madhavan (21) of Thambikottai, K Imran (20) of Vadapalani, M Bharathkumar (21) and a 16-year-old boy.

Madhavan and Imran already have criminal cases against them, police said. Imran also has a POCSO case against him. Police teams have been formed to search for the absconding accused.