A teenage boy from Mathura in the Uttar Pradesh state of India was kidnapped on the night of Saturday, September 14. The kidnapping was carried out by three men, one of whom the teen had befriended on dating app Grindr.

The Times of India reported that 24 year-old Sachin Tomar, whom the victim knew as Chandu, arranged to meet with the boy in a pre-arranged spot. From there, they travelled 5km to a restaurant for a dinner date. A few hours later, they were joined by two more men, who forced the boy into the nearby jungle. 

Later on, the boy’s family were contacted by phone and a ransom of 500,000 rupees (€56,000) was demanded. The boy’s father, a local businessman, rushed to the police station to report the kidnapping and to track the call.

Meanwhile, in a fortunate twist of fate, the car in which the kidnappers and their victim were making their getaway broke down and was spotted immediately by a nearby Police Response Vehicle (PRV). 24 year-old Tomar was arrested, but the other two men involved fled the scene in haste.

Prompt action by the local authorities allowed 14 year-old boy to be rescued shortly after he was kidnapped.

In a statement as reported to The Hindu news site, Mathura police officer Shalabh Mathur stated:

“Preliminary investigation has revealed on Saturday that Sachin and his friend Surinder called him to Tank Chowraha. After treating him to snacks in a restaurant, they took him on a motorcycle to Highway Plaza, where there two other accomplices were waiting in a Santro car. After that, they showed him their true colours, and made an extortion call.”

Mathur commended the PRV team for their prompt action which resulted in the rescue of the boy. He confirmed that the hunt for the other accomplices is currently ongoing.

Although this was the first incident of its kind to happen in the area, it is by no means unique on a global scale. Two separate incidents in the US in the last year saw gangs in Texas, and Oaklahoma use Grindr to lure their victims to a set location.