• Victims threatened with viral chats, brutally assaulted
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Once again in the city, a young man was lured through a gay dating app under the guise of friendship, brutally beaten, and robbed. The incident occurred at 10:30 PM on January 20, and a complaint was filed at Satara police station on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old victim, a city resident, works in a private job. A few months ago, he installed the Grindr app on his mobile. In the first week of January, he got acquainted with a person using the profile name Akshay Bhadke. They started chatting and soon exchanged phone numbers. As their friendship grew, Akshay insisted on meeting the young man. When the victim agreed, a meeting was arranged on January 20 at Kanchanwadi. The victim arrived at 10:30 PM, but nobody was present there.
After reaching Kanchanwadi, the victim called Akshay, who asked him to meet under a bridge on the Solapur-Dhule highway. The victim went there, where Akshay was joined by other friends. After some conversation, Akshay led the young man to a secluded spot. Following them, Akshay’s friends arrived and immediately began attacking the victim. He was beaten with sticks on his back, legs, and arms. They robbed him of Rs 700, his mobile phone, and his two-wheeler, threatening him before fleeing. The assailants were estimated to be between 20 and 30 years old. Based on the complaint, Assistant police inspector Shailesh Deshmukh registered a case. Police sub-inspector Ashok Bhandare is investigating further.
Previous incidents, fear of public humiliation
In May 2025, a similar incident occurred in the city. A young man was befriended via an app created under the guise of a gay group. He was lured to Daulatabad, beaten, and robbed. Daulatabad police arrested Rahul Khandekar (20), Ayush Late (21), and Shivam Pawar (24, all from Wadgaon Kolhati). In the past, many have been blackmailed and robbed by pretending to be gay and befriending victims. However, police said many victims hesitate to come forward due to fear of public humiliation.