“Until con do us part.”

The original phrase, “until death do us part,” has been modified here to reflect love in the digital age, with Indian dating apps now becoming a breeding ground for deceit, manipulation, blackmail, infidelity, extortion and, at times, murder, besides helping people find love.

If you find these allegations quite startling, then consider the findings from global cybersecurity firm Norton last year, which revealed that 66% (two-thirds) of adults using dating platforms in India fell victim to various forms of financial fraud related to dating app scams.

Regarding malicious pictures, threats, cheating and other unethical practices rampant on dating apps, the Norton report reveals that an average fraud on such apps can cost a person a minimum of INR 7,996.

How much of this is true, what is the root cause of this growing rot and why are dating apps operating in India conspicuously silent about their platforms turning into hotbeds for such crimes?

To find answers to these questions, our investigation led us to Rohit, a 25-year-old man whose blind date took a wrong turn.

Swipe Right To Get Honeytrapped

In his prime and raging with hormones, Rohit, single but ready to mingle, met Avani (23) on an Indian dating app. Soon, their conversation on the dating app broke all barriers and became explicitly sensual. Now, the two had to meet at all costs.

Therefore, they decided to see each other at a pub in Delhi’s Connaught Place. However, the day that looked like rainbows and sunshine soon got shrouded in ominous clouds for Rohit.

For starters, Rohit’s date started burning holes in his pocket in just a few hours, making him cough up as much as INR 50K at the pub where they were having their first-ever tryst.

Then, the real gambit started. After a few drinks, the Avani started blackmailing her date, accusing him of raping and sexually harassing her and threatening him with lodging a police complaint against him.

There was no way out for Rohit, as Avani had a record of their intimate conversation on the dating app, the images shared by him and everything that could be used to blackmail him.

Rohit tried to evade but found himself deep in the quicksand of the online dating trap. Much was at stake for Rohit, ranging from his reputation in society to his job and future.

Therefore, the beleaguered Romeo struck a deal with his newly found Juliet, leading to the entry of another man in the skillfully crafted game of right swipes.

Rohit soon got a call from Avani’s acquaintance, Vikas, who introduced himself as a social activist. Vikas outrightly demanded a few lakh rupees to avert the legal action against him.

Luckily, as Rohit was contemplating his options to have a narrow escape from the situation, he coincidently stumbled upon a human rights activist, Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj.

After Rohit expressed his ordeal, the activist informed him that he had been honey-trapped by a nefarious nexus that was running unchecked. This network duped single men seeking love on dating apps, baiting them into in-person meetings with single women, capturing their intimate moments, and subsequently blackmailing them with accusations of rape and harassment.

“Even some pubs in Delhi operate in connivance with these groups, which are led by people like Avani and Vikas, the key conspirators,” Bhardwaj told Inc42 in an exclusive interaction.

Sinners........

© Inc42