TIRUNELVELI: The city police arrested five youth and are on the lookout for four others, including two Class 12 students, for allegedly robbing a Madurai-based contractor of Rs 1 lakh after luring him through the online dating application on Sunday. The accused persons were identified as Krishna (24), Chinnathurai (20), Baskar (20), Ramchandru (20), and Ashok (22), residents of the city, and the stolen money was recovered from them.
According to sources, the victim Nehru (59), a contractor from Anuppanadi in Madurai, had arrived in Tirunelveli for work purposes and had been staying at a lodge in the city. He allegedly got in contact with some youth on Grindr App, who persuaded him to visit Vannarpettai.
Upon his arrival, the youth allegedly took him to a house in Kambaramayana Street, where a gang of nine people surrounded him demanding money, locked him inside, and threatened to harm him. Out of fear, Nehru handed over Rs 1 lakh to them, after which the gang fled the place, sources added.
Acting on his complaint, the Palayamkottai police registered a case, launched a probe and arrested the five youth. Meanwhile, a search is under way to nab the four others involved in the robbery. Further investigation also revealed that the accused persons had previously targeted another victim in Manur using a similar modus operandi.