Gay men in India using dating apps are being exposed to serious danger, as they are targeted by robbers and extortion gangs, according to a recent report.
Writing from Mumbai, Wall Street Journal journalist Gabriele Parussini says men are being extorted and attacked after being lured to meet on gay dating apps.
H tells the story of a maritime engineer, who arranged to meet a man in a hotel room and was robbed by two men who stole his possessions and emptied his bank account.
The men said that: “if he went to the police, they would press criminal charges against him for having sex with a man and tell his colleagues and family that he is gay.”
This is following the decision by India’s Supreme Court to recriminalise gay sex last year, and since the ruling – which hasn’t led to many, if any, prosecutions – it has created an “atmosphere of fear” that is a powerful tool for extortionists.
In a country where Grindr has apparently grown by 50% since last year, there has been a marked increase in gangs operating on gay dating apps, and working to entrap, extort and attack gay men.
Read the full article here.