Two persons were arrested in Valasaravakkam for allegedly extorting money from men whom they invited home after meeting through a mobile app. One of the suspects is a transperson.
According to the police, Udhayakumar, 21, son of Govindaraj from Villupuram district, works as a machine operator at a private firm in Korattur. On the night of October 9, he went to the house of Aswitha of Murali Krishna Nagar in Valasaravakkam, whom he had met through an app. However, he realised that it was not the same person he saw on the app. When Udhayakumar told her he was leaving, Aswitha and another person, who was hiding there, allegedly attacked him,snatched his mobile phone, and transferred ₹300 through GPay. They warned him not to report the incident, threatening to kill him if he did.
Following Udhayakumar’s complaint, Valasaravakkam Police registered a case and launched an investigation. The police arrested Mustafa alias Aswitha, 30, a transgender person from Valasaravakkam, and Dineshkumar, 28, from Thiruverumbur in Tiruchi district.
Investigation revealed that the duo, along with an associate, had been luring men through the Grindr app, and intimidating and extorting them.
The police seized ₹95,640 in cash, 11 mobile phones and four two-wheelers from them.
Published – October 12, 2025 12:47 am IST
