Madikeri: Kushalnagar Police in Kodagu have arrested an eight-member gang, including a juvenile offender, allegedly involved in cheating the public through an online dating app in Bengaluru.

The accused, all natives of Hassan district, have been identified as Manjunath (29), a resident of Sullakki village in Sakaleshpur; C.S. Sandeep Kumar (25); C.B. Rakesh (24); K. Jayalakshmi (29), residents of Chikkasathigala village; S. Sahana (19); Pallavi (30), residents of Ramanagara village in Belur taluk; Abhishek (24), a resident of Heragu village; and a juvenile whose identity has been kept confidential.

The Police have recovered 17 mobile phones, a tablet, a laptop, and Rs. 24,800 in cash from the accused.

The gang allegedly advertised the availability of women for sexual favours on the ‘Locanto’ app, providing mobile numbers and asking customers to come to prestigious hotels in various cities, where they would cheat them by collecting prior online payments.

Details of the case

Manju, a resident of Baichanahalli in Kushalnagar, came across an advertisement on the app that read, ‘Kushalnagar top model service available, Kushalnagar-23’ and a mobile phone number was mentioned. Upon contacting the mobile number, the person who answered identified himself as the ‘manager’ of a reputed hotel in Kushalnagar, claiming that the lodge had women masseurs providing sexual favours and massages.

The ‘manager’ informed Manju that the lodge charged Rs. 1,500 per hour and Rs. 4,000 for the night. He asked Manju to pay the amount online, promising to arrange call girls and even sent photographs of a few women through WhatsApp. Believing him, Manju transferred Rs. 1,500 via G-pay.

When Manju contacted the number again, the person asked him to come to the hotel and share details of his location and the colour of his shirt and pants. He also requested more money to provide the services.

Growing suspicious, Manju visited the hotel that had been mentioned in the app and enquired about the service, only to discover that the hotel authorities knew nothing about such activities. The hotel staff told him that many others who had been similarly deceived had come to the hotel seeking service.

Manju later filed a complaint at Kushalnagar Police Station on June 29. Based on his complaint, a special team was formed under the supervision of Somwarpet Dy.SP R.V. Gangadharappa, involving Kushalnagar Circle Police Inspector B.G. Prakash, Sub-Inspectors H.V. Chandrashekar, H.T. Geetha, and technical and crime staff. The team successfully cracked the racket, arresting the accused in Bengaluru on July 6.

Kodagu SP K. Ramarajan told media persons that the gang had cheated people out of over Rs. 3 lakh in the name of elite hotels in various districts. The Police have urged people not to fall prey to such online traps and to inform the nearest Police station or call 112 if lodges, homestays, or resorts are involved in any human trafficking, flesh trade and other illegal activities.