Pune: Dating App Link Found in Metro Suicide Case; 2 BSc Students Arrested for Blackmail and Extortion
Pune: In a shocking incident, the Pimpri police have arrested two BSc students and booked four others in connection with the suicide of a 21-year-old final-year BCS student. The victim, a resident of Rajgurunagar, tragically jumped from the elevated Sant Tukaramnagar Metro station on February 24.
The investigation revealed that the group of six students lured the victim to a rented room in Maheshnagar, Pimpri, after he signed up for a dating app. There, they forced him to remove his clothes, photographed him in a compromising position, and began blackmailing him. They demanded Rs 50,000, threatening to upload the photos on social media. The victim paid Rs 35,500, exhausting his savings and borrowing from friends, but the relentless pressure led him to take his own life.
The two arrested students, aged 19 and 20, hail from Karad and Jalgaon, respectively. The remaining four suspects, from Dhule and Jalgaon, are still at large. Police are also investigating a similar case in Jalgaon involving the prime suspect, who was recently arrested for another blackmail-related suicide.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Swapna Gore stated that the suspects used the dating app to trap the victim. The victim’s father, who runs a steel and cement business in Rajgurunagar, filed the complaint. The police traced the suspects through the victim’s online transactions and phone records.
This incident highlights the growing misuse of dating apps for criminal activities. Earlier this month, two men were arrested for robbing a gold chain worth Rs 42,000 after befriending a victim on a dating app near Hadapsar railway station. Retired Additional Director General of Police Rajendra Sonawane warned against the dangers of such platforms, urging people to exercise caution.
The tragic case underscores the need for increased awareness and stricter regulations to prevent such crimes in the future.
