‘2 cops’ target gay men through dating app, extort money

DEHRADUN: Two men claiming to be police officers have been targeting LGBTQ community members in Uttarakhand and neighbouring UP districts, extorting money and making threats after luring victims through a dating app. Some victims alleged that the duo specifically sought out Muslim men. Police have launched a probe into the claims.
It starts with a message. A name, an age, a location — just enough to feel real. The profile is carefully crafted: friendly but not eager, casual but interested. A conversation follows, light at first, then shifting to an invitation for a date.
One man in Haridwar agreed. He had been chatting with "Aman, 26," who claimed to be from Kotdwar in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district. When the victim said he couldn't travel there, Aman suggested Haridwar instead. The change in plan seemed harmless—until the moment he arrived at the meeting spot and saw a car waiting. Two men sat inside.
When he approached, the doors swung open, and the deception ended. "They started thrashing him while claiming to be police officers," a community member told TOI. The demands came fast: Rs 15,000. When he hesitated, they showed him a police uniform folded neatly in the backseat. "Pay up, or we put you behind bars," they said. Or worse—his family and friends would find out about his sexual orientation. The beating stopped only when he handed over Rs 2,000, the most he could spare.
Another man, who met them in Kotdwar, didn't get off so lightly. The price for his escape was Rs 15,000. But before letting him go, the men made their intentions clear. "They told me they were sparing me only because I am Hindu," the victim told TOI. "Then they asked for contacts of Muslim gay men. They said those were their real targets."
For weeks, these encounters have circulated among LGBTQ communities in whispers and private messages — warning others but avoiding the police. Fear is a currency, and the men wielded it well. "We are too scared to report them. They claim to be police officers, and they know we don't want to go to the police," said another community member.
The authorities are now listening. Pauri Garhwal SSP Lokeshwar Singh told TOI, "We will carry out a probe as per legal provisions to verify the allegations and nab those behind it. We are also investigating if these men are police officers or are posing as cops."