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Extortion and Blackmail of Gay Men in India (Nov 2024 – Nov 2025)

 November 17, 2025  Leave a Comment on Extortion and Blackmail of Gay Men in India (Nov 2024 – Nov 2025) 0 Likes 12 Views

Introduction

Over the past year (November 2024 to November 2025), Indian media and police records have documented a disturbing pattern of extortion and blackmail targeting gay men. Despite the decriminalization of consensual same-sex relations in 2018, lingering social stigma has made queer individuals, especially closeted gay men, vulnerable to “honey trap” scams and sexual extortiontimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Gangs and opportunists across India have been using dating apps and queer social platforms to lure victims, only to assault, rob, and blackmail them with threats of outing their sexuality. This report compiles major incidents, legal responses, trends, expert commentary, and community initiatives that have emerged in the last year in response to these crimes.

Timeline of Incidents and Trends

Late 2024 – Early 2025: A spike in reported cases began in late 2024. On November 12, 2024, Uttar Pradesh Police arrested four men in Aligarh who allegedly used a LGBTQ dating app to kidnap and blackmail gay mentimesofindia.indiatimes.com. The gang lured victims to a meeting, beat and robbed them, and coerced them into compromising videos for extortiontimesofindia.indiatimes.com. One victim from Bulandshahr was forced to pay cash and give up his ATM card, after which the perpetrators withdrew ₹12,000 from his accounttimesofindia.indiatimes.com. This case marked an early warning of a growing extortion racket preying on gay men. Just weeks later, in January 2025, Delhi Police busted a similar “honey trap” gang operating via mainstream dating apps. In an incident reported on January 11, a group of five (including one minor) befriended gay men on Tinder, then held them hostage in order to extort moneyndtv.comndtv.com. One Delhi victim was picked up by an acquaintance from Tinder and taken to a house where he was stripped; four others then entered, took his phone and bank details, and transferred about ₹1.25 lakh from his accountsndtv.comndtv.com. The police swiftly tracked and arrested four adult suspects, who confessed to targeting multiple gay men in this manner. Around the same time, in Greater Noida (NCR), police uncovered another Grindr-based blackmail ring. In early January 2025, Noida authorities arrested four young men (aged 19–23) who had been befriending victims on Grindr, then forcing sexual acts on camera to blackmail themndtv.com. According to Noida Police, this gang had been active for roughly a year and had victimized 20–25 people, most of whom never reported the crimes due to “societal fear” of being outedindianexpress.comindianexpress.com. This was only the first of several such busts in the region – by May 2025, Greater Noida Police caught a second extortion gang (also of four members) using similar tacticsindianexpress.comindianexpress.com. The persistence of multiple rings in the National Capital Region (NCR) underscored both the lucrative appeal of these crimes and the under-reporting by terrified victims. 

Feb–Mar 2025: Reports in early 2025 also highlighted a particularly sinister scheme in Uttarakhand and western UP, where extortionists posed as police officers. In February, Times of India reported that two men claiming to be cops were targeting closeted LGBTQ individuals via a dating app, especially seeking out Muslim gay men as victimstimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. One victim in Haridwar recounted being lured to a meeting where the impostors beat him in a car, demanded ₹15,000, and threatened to jail him or inform his family about his sexuality. The assault stopped only after he paid ₹2,000 – all he had at the timetimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Another victim in Kotdwar was extorted for ₹15,000 and told he was “spared only because [he is] Hindu,” as the thugs pressed him for contacts of Muslim gay men – their “real targets”timesofindia.indiatimes.com. These cases spread by word of mouth among local queer communities, whose members were “too scared to report” the crimes initiallytimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Once police were alerted, an investigation was launched to verify if the culprits were actual policemen or simply impersonators preying on victims’ fear of law enforcementtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. The communal targeting in this extortion pattern was an alarming twist, illustrating how intersecting vulnerabilities (sexual orientation and religion) were exploited. 

Mid 2025 – Height of the Crime Wave: Through mid-2025, incidents were reported across various states, suggesting a nationwide problem rather than isolated pockets. In Maharashtra, Pune police recorded multiple cases. A July 2025 Indian Express report noted that Pune Police arrested two men for assaulting and blackmailing a 22-year-old male restaurant worker whom they had trapped via an LGBTQ dating appindianexpress.comindianexpress.com. The victim was forced into a car, stripped and beaten, and the assailants recorded videos to extort money – ultimately forcing him to make digital payments totaling ₹8,000 before he escapedindianexpress.com. Pune authorities revealed this was not an isolated case: “multiple such cases have been reported in the past”, including a February 2024 robbery of a man’s gold chain by a date from a queer app, and an ongoing investigation into a group that blackmailed a 24-year-old gay man for over ₹1 lakh between August 2024 and January 2025indianexpress.com. The Express noted police had even begun urging caution among LGBTQ app users and imploring victims to come forward despite the stigmaindianexpress.com. 

Other parts of India saw similar crime sprees in mid-2025. In West Bengal, Kolkata Police unearthed an extortion racket in July 2025 that was blackmailing queer men through dating appsmenafn.com. Three men were arrested in that case, in which the gang would befriend a target on an app (such as Grindr), lure him to a private location, then stage a raid: accomplices burst in and photographed the victim in intimate situations, later using those photos to extort up to ₹1 lakh under threat of outing him publiclymenafn.commenafn.com. One complainant from Ballygunge (Kolkata) came forward on July 17, 2025 after paying ~₹96,000 in hush money; based on his FIR, police arrested the trio and even cited India’s new draft penal code (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) in the chargesmenafn.commenafn.com. Local queer activists in Kolkata reacted by highlighting the need for safe-dating workshops and precautionary education. “People from the queer community… especially closeted or vulnerable individuals, must use caution when meeting someone from an app,” one activist urged, calling for community groups to partner with law enforcement, lawyers, and psychologists to promote safer practicesmenafn.com. 

Perhaps the most brazen single-victim extortion of this period occurred in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) in July 2025. A 57-year-old doctor staying at a hotel connected with a man on a gay dating app, only to have his date turn into a blackmailerndtv.com. The accused (identified as Vikas) plied the doctor with beer, then suddenly admonished him for indulging in such behavior “at [his] age” and in the holy city (“Shiv Nagri”) before swiftly snapping nude photos of the doctorndtv.comndtv.com. Vikas assaulted the victim, broke a glass to threaten him, and claimed underworld and political connections – demanding money or else the compromising photos would be leaked or the doctor even killedndtv.comndtv.com. In fear for his life and reputation, the doctor paid a staggering ₹8 lakh (via online transfers and cash) overnight to the blackmailerndtv.comndtv.com. He filed a police complaint the next day. Varanasi Police confirmed a case was registered – notably under Section 308 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (the new criminal code) for extortion – and launched a manhunt for the perpetratorndtv.com. The sheer amount extorted and the violence in this case underscored how far scammers were willing to go when they sensed a victim’s extreme fear of exposure. 

Around the same time, South India saw its share of incidents. In Kerala, a significant bust took place in August 2025 when the state police dismantled a four-member gang that had been robbing and extorting queer men through Grindr meetupsilgaasia.org. The operation came to light only after one brave victim lodged a complaint; he reported being invited by an online match, then assaulted, having his gold jewelry snatched, and abandoned in a remote area (near Palode in Thiruvananthapuram)deccanherald.comdeccanherald.com. Upon investigation, police were stunned at the scale: the arrested suspects had wiped the victim’s phone to erase evidence, but digital forensics recovered data revealing the gang’s activityilgaasia.org. Officers suspect they had extorted “hundreds of thousands of rupees from hundreds of gay and transgender individuals” across Kerala in a matter of monthsilgaasia.orgilgaasia.org. Most victims never went to the police before, likely out of fear; indeed, when other individuals were identified and contacted, many admitted they had been robbed by the gang but stayed silent due to their “delicate social status” and fear of being outedilgaasia.org. Kerala’s bust in August 2025 was part of a wider pattern that summer – similar criminal rings were nabbed in Kolkata and even Bengaluru around that timeilgaasia.org. In Telangana, a late 2025 case showed how such extortion can escalate into ongoing harassment. In September 2025, a 23-year-old doctor in Hyderabad reported that a man he met on Grindr assaulted and blackmailed him after the doctor refused to have sextimesofindia.indiatimes.com. The enraged perpetrator slapped and punched him, then threatened to “tell [his] father” and colleagues about his sexual orientation unless paid offtimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Under duress, the young doctor transferred ₹5,000 via UPI that nighttimesofindia.indiatimes.com. But the abuse did not stop: the next day, the same man stalked the victim to his workplace (a hospital) and even forced into his home, demanding more money. He stole another ₹3,000 in cash and issued death threats if the victim went to policetimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Terrified for his life, the doctor finally filed an FIR, and Hyderabad Police registered a case under the new BNS provisions for extortion, criminal intimidation, and assaulttimesofindia.indiatimes.com. As of that report (late Sept. 2025), police were tracing the suspect via digital clues, and the victim was under protection – his plea “I fear for my life” sadly encapsulating the trauma so many gay extortion victims enduretimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. 

Taken together, the timeline of November 2024–November 2025 reveals a wave of cases across India, from metro cities (Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata) to smaller centers (Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Haridwar). The methods repeat: use queer dating/hookup apps (Grindr being most common, but also Tinder or Facebook in some instances) to gain a target’s trust, arrange a face-to-face meeting, and then spring an extortion trap – often involving physical assault and capturing compromising evidence. Payment demands in these cases ranged from a few thousand rupees to several lakhs, depending on the victim’s means or fear level. Many incidents involved multiple assailants (organized gangs), though a few were one-on-one. Notably, peaks in enforcement action occurred when at least one victim overcame fear and reported the crime, enabling police to bust the entire racket. Police and media observers have noted that the true incidence is likely much higher, given that “the majority of cases still remain unreported” due to stigmailgaasia.org. There is some indication that reports have risen compared to prior years, which could suggest either an increase in extortion attempts or better awareness among victims that they can seek help. For example, Chennai-based NGOs observed a “gut-wrenching increase” in sextortion cases post-2018, as predators exploit gay men’s enduring fear of being outedtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. In short, while exact statistics are elusive, clusters of cases in 2025 point to a persistent and possibly growing criminal trend – one that thrives on social prejudice and the victim’s silence.

Legal Response and Case Handling

Legally, these extortion and blackmail incidents are handled under general criminal laws, as India has no special statute for crimes targeting one’s sexual orientation. Police have been invoking provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) – and its 2023 replacement, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) – related to kidnapping, robbery, extortion, criminal intimidation, assault, and criminal conspiracy. For instance, the Aligarh case in Nov 2024 led to charges under BNS sections 352, 351(2), 308(5), 140(4), and 293(3) among otherstimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com, which correspond to offenses like extortion by putting a person in fear of hurt, intentional insult, wrongful confinement, and so forth. In Varanasi, the extortion of the doctor was registered under BNS Section 308 (extortion)ndtv.com. In Hyderabad’s Sept 2025 FIR, police cited BNS §308(5) (extortion by threat of death or grievous harm), §351(2) (criminal intimidation), and §352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace)timesofindia.indiatimes.com. These new section numbers come from the draft penal code introduced in 2023, signaling that authorities are aligning charges with the updated code even as it is set to replace the IPC. 

FIRs and Investigations: In each reported case, once an FIR (First Information Report) was lodged, police moved quickly to investigate – often using cyber and electronic evidence since the crimes involve digital platforms and payments. In Pune, for example, investigators traced the accused through “technical leads” like phone records and online transaction trails, managing to arrest two suspects within days of the complaintindianexpress.comindianexpress.com. In Delhi’s Tinder honey-trap case, police used “technical surveillance and local intelligence” to track down the culprits to their hideouts in Gokalpuri/Pratap Nagar, recovering the victim’s phone and solving the case within a weekndtv.comndtv.com. Similarly, Noida police caught one extortion gang almost by accident – during a routine traffic stop in July 2025, officers found four youths on motorcycles with fake license plates carrying knives, a pistol, and several stolen phonesindianexpress.comindianexpress.com. Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to using Grindr to target men; evidence seized (weapons, multiple phones, etc.) corroborated their involvement in at least three recent robberies of gay app usersindianexpress.comindianexpress.com. These swift busts illustrate that when law enforcement is able to act, they treat the cases seriously as organized crime operations. Police in Noida and Kerala noted that once identified, accused persons often confess or are found linked to multiple incidents, implying serial offendingindianexpress.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. In several cases, police also recovered compromising videos or photos from the accused’s devices – crucial evidence of the blackmail scheme. For example, Aligarh investigators seized “several compromising videos” the gang had recorded of victimstimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com, and Hyderabad police sought CCTV footage and Grindr account details to identify the stalker in the doctor’s casetimesofindia.indiatimes.com. 

Challenges in Prosecution: Despite these arrests, prosecuting such cases faces hurdles. A key issue is victim testimony – many victims are unwilling to officially testify or pursue charges once their immediate crisis is resolved, due to the very fear that made them vulnerable (public exposure of their sexuality). Kerala Police found numerous victims who “were reluctant to pursue the case” even after being identified, because of their “delicate social status” as queer individualsilgaasia.org. This reluctance can weaken the case against defendants if key witnesses turn hostile or absent. However, police and some courts have been trying to address this by assuring anonymity and sensitivity. There is also the complication of fake accusations in some honey-trap scenarios – a separate legal concern where extortionists might themselves lodge false complaints (for example, accusing the victim of sexual assault) to pressure payment. The Delhi High Court, in a 2020 observation, noted that while a person agreeing to a sexual liaison due to “allurement” is not blameless, “allurement advanced for extortion of money is also not acceptable”indianexpress.com. The High Court directed Delhi Police to be vigilant in distinguishing genuine sexual assault cases from extortion “honey traps” and to not harass accused persons who might actually be victims of a setupindianexpress.comindianexpress.com. Accordingly, Delhi Police’s legal cell issued standing orders to “take utmost care” in investigating cases where an initial sexual encounter is alleged and check if the complainant has a history of similar accusations – implying a possible extortion racketindianexpress.comindianexpress.com. While that particular directive was geared more towards heterosexual honey-trap scenarios (e.g. men lured by women and then framed), the principle carries over: law enforcement must carefully vet claims so that extortion victims are not mistakenly treated as perpetrators or vice versa. 

Court Proceedings: As of November 2025, most of the cases from the past year remain in the investigatory or pre-trial phase. There have not been widely publicized convictions yet, partly due to how recent many of these incidents are. Some accused have been charged and remanded for trial. For instance, after the Kolkata arrests in July, a case was registered under relevant sections of the BNS/IPC, and presumably prosecution will followmenafn.com. In Noida’s January 2025 bust, those four accused were likely charged with extortion, criminal conspiracy, and possibly unnatural offenses (earlier, before 2018, perpetrators would sometimes threaten charges under Section 377 IPC to scare victims – post-2018 decriminalization, that is no longer applicable, shifting the focus purely to extortion). One notable legal outcome was the Delhi High Court’s broader intervention on “honey trap” extortions, which included asking the Police Commissioner to compile reports of such cases citywideindianexpress.com. This suggests courts are aware of and monitoring the phenomenon, even if specific judgments in individual cases have yet to be delivered. 

In summary, from a legal standpoint, Indian authorities are treating these incidents as serious criminal offenses under extortion and robbery laws. However, the effectiveness of justice is closely tied to victim cooperation and overcoming stigma. Enforcement agencies have repeatedly highlighted that non-reporting remains a major obstacle – as Greater Noida’s ACP noted, “victims have societal fear… they do not come forward to report such incidents, and the accused get away”indianexpress.com. Police are increasingly encouraging victims to lodge complaints by assuring confidentiality and stressing that predators “take advantage of people not reporting”indianexpress.com. Some jurisdictions have started outreach to the LGBTQ community to build trust. For example, Pune Police publicly **“urged people to come forward and report these crimes so that the perpetrators can be caught”*indianexpress.com. Still, without broader legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals (such as anti-discrimination laws or privacy safeguards), many victims feel the de facto cost of pursuing justice is revealing their sexuality, which they perceive as too high a price.

Notable Cases and Modus Operandi

Several cases from this period stand out for their severity or unique modus operandi:

  • Aligarh Honey-Trap Gang (Nov 2024, Uttar Pradesh): What happened: Four men – Sageer, Hafiz, Sharukh, and Zaki – created fake profiles on a gay dating app and posed as romantic partnerstimesofindia.indiatimes.com. They arranged meet-ups in Aligarh and would then coerce the victim into a compromising situation (often physically forcing them into nudity or sexual acts) which they filmed for blackmailtimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. In one instance, after a victim arrived at a rented room, the gang beat him and demanded ₹5,000 cash, then stole his ATM card and withdrew an additional ₹12,000 from his bank accounttimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Outcome: The victim (from Bulandshahr) managed to escape and report the crime. Police arrested all four suspects and recovered multiple video clips used in the extortion schemetimesofindia.indiatimes.com. They were booked under kidnapping, extortion, and assault charges as per the new BNS codetimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Investigators noted the gang likely targeted many others in the closeted gay community in that region. This early case illustrated the classic pattern of lure-assault-record-extort that would reappear in other states.
  • Delhi “Tinder Gang” (Jan 2025, Delhi): What happened: Five individuals (including one minor) led by men in their early 20s hunted for targets on Tinder, pretending to be gay men looking for datesndtv.comndtv.com. One victim “matched” with an Ankit on Tinder and agreed to meet. Ankit picked him up at a metro station and took him to a house in northeast Delhi. There, the unsuspecting victim was asked to strip (perhaps under pretense of intimacy); as soon as he did, four accomplices burst inndtv.comndtv.com. They snatched his phone and wallet, and threatened him. Using his banking app/password, the gang transferred about ₹1.25 lakh out of his accounts on the spotndtv.com. They kept him captive for some time, likely to frighten him into not immediately calling for help, and then released him. Outcome: The victim filed a complaint at Harsh Vihar police station. Delhi Police tracked the culprits through technical means and arrested four adult men (ages 19–24: Arjun, Nitin, Akash, and Faizan) and apprehended the juvenilendtv.comndtv.com. The stolen phone and part of the money trail were recovered. Shockingly, it turned out some of these youths already had prior robbery casesndtv.com. The case underscored that even mainstream apps like Tinder were being misused for targeting gay men, and it also highlighted police efficiency – the arrests were made within days.
  • Ghaziabad Sextortion Ring (Feb 2025, Uttar Pradesh): What happened: Ghaziabad Police arrested three men for running a violent sextortion scheme specifically aimed at gay men via Grindrindiatoday.in. The gang’s tactic was to befriend men on the app with promises of casual sex, then invite them to a rented flat. When a victim arrived expecting a private encounter, he was instead ambushed: the perpetrators (typically 4 at a time) would hold him hostage, sometimes physically restraining him, and record obscene videos of himindiatoday.inindiatoday.in. They threatened to share the videos or even frame the victim in false legal cases unless he paid large sums. One victim was forced to make six online transfers totaling ₹1.4 lakh to the gang while being held captiveindiatoday.in. The extortionists even used psychological tactics – they would show the victim pornography to “gain his trust” initially, and staged the ambush with a threat of “murder and legal entanglement” if he resistedindiatoday.in. Interestingly, during interrogation one key accused (Rinku) was found carrying ID cards of bar associations (lawyer IDs) from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, possibly to impersonate a lawyer or threaten legal action, which police investigated for authenticityindiatoday.in. Outcome: After one victim escaped and filed a complaint, police raided the flat and arrested three men (Rinku, Ajay – who was the honeytrap “talker” on the app – and Shubham alias Samrat)indiatoday.in. Several other members of this gang fled and remained at large as of Feb 2025indiatoday.in. The arrested were charged with extortion, criminal intimidation, and wrongful confinement. This case was notable for the large sum extorted and the level of planning – rented premises, coordinated team ambush, and even prop devices (siren sounds, fake IDs) to impersonate authority figurestimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. It showed how sophisticated some of these rings had become.
  • Kerala Grindr Gang (Aug 2025, Kerala): What happened: Four youths in Thiruvananthapuram formed a gang to target gay men and trans women on Grindrilgaasia.org. They would arrange dates in semi-public places or invite the victim for a ride, then isolate and rob them. Unlike some other gangs, their primary aim seemed to be robbery of valuables on the spot (gold jewelry, cash, devices), though they also used threats of outing to keep victims silent after the factilgaasia.orgilgaasia.org. In the case that led to their downfall, the group extorted a man’s gold chain and ring (about 2.5 sovereigns of gold, ~20 grams) and then dumped him in a deserted areadeccanherald.com. They apparently also factory-reset the victim’s phone, attempting to erase any evidence of their communicationsilgaasia.org. Outcome: The victim bravely went to the local police, who then launched a cyber investigation. With help from a cyber forensics wing, officers retrieved data from the wiped phone and traced the suspectsilgaasia.org. All four were arrested in August 2025. Upon questioning, police uncovered the gang’s extensive track record: over a few months, they had allegedly robbed or extorted “hundreds” of LGBTQ+ people across Kerala, possibly earning “hundreds of thousands of rupees” in the processilgaasia.org. This revelation was startling and troubling – it indicated a far greater number of victims than typically seen in one case, implying that most never came forward. Many identified victims, when contacted by police, acknowledged they had been attacked but declined to file formal complaints due to fear of social repercussionsilgaasia.org. The case thus highlighted the mass under-reporting phenomenon. Kerala Police charged the quartet with robbery, unlawful restraint, and extortion. Importantly, this case sparked conversations about improving support for victims so that such gangs cannot operate with impunity for so long (discussed more in the next section).
  • Hyderabad Doctor Harassment (Sept 2025, Telangana): What happened: A 23-year-old closeted doctor in Hyderabad was individually targeted by a man he met on Grindrtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. After two weeks of chatting, the doctor agreed to meet the person at a private hostel room. When the doctor declined the man’s sexual advances, the situation turned violent: the man assaulted him and snatched the doctor’s phone, obtaining the contact of his fathertimesofindia.indiatimes.com. He then used the threat of outing – saying he would call the victim’s father and reveal his sexuality – to extort money on the spottimesofindia.indiatimes.com. The frightened doctor paid ₹5,000 via UPI that eveningtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. However, the ordeal continued as the perpetrator stalked the doctor thereafter. He showed up at the hospital where the victim worked, and even followed him home, demanding more money and terrorizing him with threats to make a scene at the workplace or harm himtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. The intruder ransacked the doctor’s apartment, stealing another ₹3,000 cash and physically assaulting him againtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Over 2–3 days, the victim was in constant fear for his life. Outcome: Realizing the danger, he approached the police for protection. Madhapur Police registered a case under serious extortion and intimidation charges and opened an investigationtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. They took measures to locate the suspect (tracking the UPI account and coordinating with Grindr for the user’s data)timesofindia.indiatimes.com. This case is notable because it did not involve a larger gang – it shows that even one individual can perpetrate prolonged harassment and extortion against a vulnerable victim. It also illustrates the extended nature of trauma some victims face, essentially being blackmailed and bullied over days or weeks, not just in a one-off encounter. The Hyderabad case garnered attention in local media, with the victim’s quote “I fear for my life” making headlinestimesofindia.indiatimes.com. It underlined the need for prompt police action in such cases to prevent escalation from extortion to potentially lethal violence.

These are just a few illustrative cases among many. Other notable mentions include: the Noida double busts (Jan and May 2025) where eight total accused were arrested for Grindr-related extortion of dozens of victimsindianexpress.comindianexpress.com; the Pune series of cases which prompted public warnings from policeindianexpress.comindianexpress.com; and the Kolkata incident which spurred community discussions on dating safetymenafn.com. Across all these, the modus operandi has common threads – use of trust and secrecy in gay dating to set a trap, leverage of physical force and/or threatening evidence, and exploitation of the victim’s fear of being “outed” to discourage them from seeking helpilgaasia.orgtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. The variety of locales and people involved (from students and jobless youth, to even a lawyer’s impersonation, to gangs comprising both urban and semi-urban members) suggests this crime pattern is not limited by geography or demographic – rather, it is wherever perpetrators perceive that LGBTQ individuals remain socially marginalized enough to be coerced.

Expert and Community Reactions

Human Rights and LGBTQ Advocates: Activists and experts have expressed deep concern over these extortion cases, framing them as a harsh reminder that legal decriminalization alone has not ended the persecution of queer people. “Four years after the Supreme Court struck down Section 377… a gut-wrenching increase in cases of sextortion [against LGBTQIA+ people] comes as a reminder that the shame and fear of being outed… is real and enduring,” wrote journalist Saranya Chakrapani, quoting advocates in late 2022timesofindia.indiatimes.com. L. Ramakrishnan of the health NGO SAATHII noted that those “most vulnerable to blackmail or extortion are usually those who have not come out at work or to their families”, because predators know these victims will do anything to keep their secrettimesofindia.indiatimes.com. In other words, societal non-acceptance creates a breeding ground for these crimes. 

International human rights groups have also weighed in. ILGA Asia, a regional LGBTQ+ rights body, condemned the trend of targeting queer men on apps and highlighted the lack of protective laws in India. In a September 2025 statement following the Kerala bust, ILGA Asia’s Executive Director Henry Koh pointed out that while India decriminalized same-sex relations in 2018, “the absence of strong anti-discrimination protections and the persistence of social stigma compound these vulnerabilities”ilgaasia.orgilgaasia.org. He warned that simply banning dating apps (a knee-jerk proposal some politicians have made) would “lead to queer censorship and further marginalization” rather than solve the crimeilgaasia.org. Instead, Koh and others call for robust legal protections – anti-discrimination laws, hate crime legislation, and sensitization of law enforcement – so that queer people can seek justice without fearilgaasia.orgilgaasia.org. Activist Akkai Padmashali, a prominent voice for LGBTQ rights in India, emphasized that the onus is on the state and justice system to ensure “our spaces, our privacy, our dignity cannot become public property”. She urged authorities to “ensure safer spaces [and] community-friendly atmosphere” both online and offline for queer people, rather than blaming the victimsilgaasia.org. 

Local community organizations have been on the frontlines of both supporting victims and educating the community. In Chennai, the NGO Sahodaran and its sister concern THOZHI have documented dozens of extortion attempts. THOZHI’s program manager Sabitha J recounted how she discovered nearly 60 gay/bisexual men in Chennai had received identical fake extortion calls – someone pretending to be a cop with a siren sound in the background, threatening to expose them unless they paid a bribetimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. NGOs like hers have stepped in to do what victims fear to do with police: investigate and hold perpetrators accountable informally. Sabitha described a case where they tracked down a perpetrator – a gym owner in Chennai – who had lured a temple priest from Madurai for a meet-up and then sexually assaulted and robbed him on a highwaytimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Knowing the survivor was too afraid to go to police, the NGO workers confronted the culprit themselves, obtained a video confession and a promise not to reoffendtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. “It’s just our way of holding these men accountable, as in most cases, survivors don’t want to go to the police, fearing stigma,” Sabitha explainedtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. While such vigilante or extrajudicial approaches are not ideal, they underscore the gap that community groups are filling due to lack of trust in authorities. Activists have also noted that some extortionists are themselves living dual lives – “men with wives and children, using this as a way to make extra money,” according to Jaya of Sahodarantimesofindia.indiatimes.com – highlighting that stigma can breed criminality in unexpected ways (closeted men exploiting others in the closet). 

Law Enforcement and Legal Experts: Police officials, when speaking on record, uniformly urge victims to overcome their fear and report crimes. Many officers have given assurances that blackmail based on sexuality is still a crime and will be dealt with strictly. In Pune, a senior officer involved in an app extortion case stressed that suspects often deliberately target queer app users knowing they are hesitant to approach police; he appealed to the community to exercise caution and to “come forward and report these crimes” so that repeat offenders can be caughtindianexpress.com. Similarly, Greater Noida’s Additional DCP affirmed that “the problem is victims have societal fear… these [criminals] took advantage of people not reporting”indianexpress.com. This refrain suggests that police are aware that underreporting is the linchpin of the issue. In some cities, police have started working with LGBTQ liaison or community groups to build trust. For example, after the Delhi honey-trap cases, police and activists held informal meetings to assure gay individuals that extortion, violence, etc. can be safely reported. Nonetheless, trust in police remains low in many areas due to past mistreatment of LGBTQ people, and officers acknowledge this will take time to improve. 

Legal commentators have pointed out that India’s current laws punish extortion and assault, but do not address the unique dimension of these crimes – namely, the threat of outing someone’s sexuality. Blackmail is blackmail, regardless of motive, in the eyes of the law. But because the leverage over victims is specifically the social consequences of being identified as gay, some advocates argue for stronger privacy protections. They note that India still lacks a comprehensive anti-discrimination law for LGBTQ citizens (employment, housing, services, etc.), and thus victims often feel that if they are outed, they have no legal recourse against the backlash. This vulnerability, Henry Koh said, “has made trust in institutional justice mechanisms low among LGBTIQ communities”ilgaasia.org. In October 2023, the Supreme Court of India declined to legalize same-sex marriage, and pointed to the need for Parliament to enact laws safeguarding LGBTQ rights. Activists have since intensified calls for an anti-discrimination bill, which could indirectly help extortion victims – by reducing stigma and giving them confidence that being outed won’t cost them their job or family ties in a worst-case scenario. As of 2025, such legal reforms are still pending. However, incremental progress is visible: some police forces (like in Mumbai and Delhi) have appointed LGBTQ community liaison officers, and there are discussions of sensitization training for officers about gender/sexuality issues, which would include handling of blackmail cases empathetically. 

Public Awareness and Initiatives: The rash of cases has prompted both authorities and community members to launch awareness and safety initiatives. Many queer advocacy groups have circulated online safety guidelines for dating apps. For example, Bengaluru’s Good As You collective published a detailed checklist on how to avoid or mitigate honey-trap risks, including tips like meeting in public spaces first, informing a trusted friend of your plans, not carrying large amounts of cash to dates, verifying identities through video calls, and having queer helpline numbers handy in case of troubletimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. In Kolkata, queer activists called for regular “safe dating” workshops where community members can learn about red flags in online interactions and self-defense measures, ideally with participation from police and legal experts to build confidencemenafn.com. There have also been helplines and informal networks set up where victims can report incidents confidentially and get advice. In cities like Chennai and Bengaluru, LGBTQ help centers often act as intermediaries – accompanying victims to police stations or even negotiating on their behalf when the victim is too fearful. 

On the police side, some departments have begun cautioning the public via social media. In July 2025, after busting gangs, the Noida Police and Hyderabad Police tweeted warnings about dating app fraud targeting gay men and advised users to be careful about meeting strangers. Kerala Police’s cyber cell, following their August bust, issued a public statement highlighting how these gangs operate and urged victims to “please report without fear – we will maintain confidentiality”. While such assurances are encouraging, activists say more needs to be done in practice to ensure victims aren’t re-victimized by insensitive handling. Reports of police mocking or lecturing victims in some cases still circulate anecdotally, which deters others from coming forward. Recognizing this, a few legal aid organizations (like Lawyers Collective and Human Rights Law Network) have offered free counsel to LGBTQ victims of violence or extortion, to help file FIRs and even petition courts if police refuse to act. 

One positive outcome of the attention on these crimes is that queer communities have become more organized in fighting back. In some instances, community members themselves have set traps for the extorters – essentially reversing the honeypot. For example, an activist in Chennai, Srijith S., has on multiple occasions posed as a vulnerable target at cruising spots to catch men who were assaulting and robbing gay peopletimesofindia.indiatimes.com. While vigilante actions carry risk, they speak to the desperation of a community protecting itself. Srijith also emphasizes education: “We tell community members at every juncture to ask questions that prove the other person’s identity… and not to connect with profiles without photographs”, basically encouraging more stringent vetting of online prospectstimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Digital solutions are being tried too – Indian developers have created queer dating apps like “As You Are” which manually verify each profile to weed out fakestimesofindia.indiatimes.com. The founder of that app, Sunali Aggarwal, said they employ human moderators to check users’ identity documents, age, and gender, since “algorithms can be fooled” but a manual review adds a layer of safetytimesofindia.indiatimes.com. These community-driven measures, alongside law enforcement action, form a multi-pronged response to a complex problem.

Conclusion

The period from November 2024 to November 2025 has made one thing starkly clear: while India’s LGBTQ+ community has legally won rights on paper, they continue to face grave threats in everyday life from those exploiting social prejudices. The string of extortion and blackmail cases targeting gay men in India represents a cruel intersection of homophobia and criminal opportunism. Extorters bank on the notion that many gay men – fearing ostracism or worse – will pay silently rather than seek help. This exposes a continuing climate of fear that legal changes alone have not dispelled. However, the vigorous police crackdowns in cities like Delhi, Noida, Kolkata, Pune, and others over the last year also send a hopeful message: perpetrators can and will be caught when victims (or someone on their behalf) break the silence and law enforcement treats the crimes with urgency. The fact that gangs were busted in quick succession across different states indicates a growing recognition within the system of this modus operandi. 

Moving forward, both prevention and protection are critical. Prevention means education – within the queer community about safe dating practices, and within society at large to reduce the stigma that makes victims susceptible. Protection means stronger legal and social support: from confidentiality assurances in police procedure to possibly new laws against outing someone’s sexuality as a form of harassment. Human rights experts urge the government to expedite anti-discrimination legislation, which would undercut extortionists’ leverage by removing some of the shame factor from the equationilgaasia.org. Additionally, advocacy continues for digital platform accountability – dating apps like Grindr have been criticized for not doing enough to warn or protect users in countries where such scams are rampantilgaasia.org. In the meantime, community-led efforts like helplines, verification-based apps, and peer support networks are proving invaluable lifelines for those who might otherwise suffer in silence. 

In conclusion, the battle against the extortion of gay men in India is as much a social fight as a criminal justice one. The past year’s events show both the danger and the resilience present in the community. As one Bengaluru activist poignantly put it, “It is sad that the community has to constantly look over its shoulder to access a right [to love] so easily available to others. But it is what it is – and the only way it gets better is when you are prepared.”timesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com Preparedness, along with persistent advocacy and sensitive policing, will be key to ensuring that LGBTQ Indians can live openly “without the threat of violence or extortion”, fulfilling the promise of freedom that decriminalization was meant to heraldilgaasia.orgilgaasia.org. 

Sources:

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