Organised gang targeting gay men in Banjara Hills comes to light

Hyderabad: In a series of disturbing events, an organised gang targeting gay individuals has come to light within the jurisdiction of Banjara Hills police station.

Two separate victims have come forward with harrowing accounts of their encounters with the gang, prompting immediate action by the authorities.

The first incident involved a 23-year-old software employee residing in NBT Nagar, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. He told the police that, while using a popular gay dating app--Grindr, he came across a profile on August 1. The person in the profile shared his location as Bholanagar in Banjara Hills and the victim decided to meet the person at the specified location.

Upon arriving, the person threatened the victim with a knife and forced him to undress. In a state of panic, he was coerced into posing for explicit videos, which the person later used to blackmail the victim. The assailant also forcefully took away his silver bracelet, silver chain, and Rs 2,000 in cash. However, he managed to escape and reported the incident to Banjara Hills police station.

In a strikingly similar incident, a 27-year-old private job holder residing in Chintal Basti, Khairatabad, also faced a traumatic ordeal at the hands of the same gang. On the same day at a different time, while using the dating app, the person encountered the same assailant, who lured the victim to the Bholanagar location in Banjara Hills.

The 27-year-old was also subjected to physical violence. The assailant, along with his accomplice, showed the victim knives and a hammer to intimidate him. Succumbing to their threats, the victim had to give his gold ring and Rs 7,000 in cash. Additionally, the perpetrators stole his phone and utilised it to transfer Rs 20,000 via PhonePe to an account.

Following up on the harrowing experiences of both victims, the Banjara Hills police registered two different cases under IPC Section 392 and launched a thorough investigation into the matter.