A group in Mumbai ripped off over 350 “male escorts.”

Nearly three hundred men in Mumbai and its surrounding areas have been duped by a gang, but just one has stepped forward to file a formal complaint. Why is that? Two members of the accused male escort gang have been caught, and their purported method of operation was straightforward and, at first seem, successful. A gang thought they had found a simple and foolproof method of duping prospective male escorts in the city and its environs, and yet one victim came forward with a complaint. The gang believed that by focusing on male escorts, no one would file a complaint unless the escort were willing to incriminate himself. The gang knew they could not get caught because no one would come forward to complain, so they came up with a simple (though ingenious) plan: they would pay men to join “friendship groups,” tell them all they had to do was visit hotel rooms to be with women clients, and then, when the man finally arrived at the hotel, he would be asked to buy a gift by making an online payment to impress his client. During his interview with law enforcement, he said that a gang had recruited him over WhatsApp, offering him membership in the Geeta Friendship Club, the Rushi Friendship Club, and the Neeta Spa Friendship Club. The complainant was told to report to a three-star hotel last week and hand over a check for Rs 1,500 (about US$22) as a registration fee and another Rs 1,500 (about US$30) as payment for two months of service. He was given the option of purchasing a “gift” (a body massage set) online for Rs 6,500. The club offered to deliver the promised gear to his hotel room as soon as he paid the money. Once he was outside of the hotel, he was ordered to provide a “live picture” to prove who he was. The complainant was also had to provide a security deposit of Rs 11,000. “The complainant was told by the gang that if he became a club member, he would be sent for massage services to women in various hotels, who will pay Rs 30,000 to 40,000. He was also told that he would have to pay the club 20% of the amount,” said an officer. The victim lost nearly Rs 20,000 before realizing he had been scammed. “Based on his complaint, police, with technical assistance, followed the money trail and located the beneficiary’s bank account. The account holder was identified as Abhishek Singh, and we arrested him. During interrogation, Abhishek revealed the identities of his co-conspirators, Sujit Anil Singh, Chhotu Singh, and Kiran Singh. With Rs 7.27 lakh in it, police blocked the account. Seven cell phones and seven SIM cards were taken from the suspects. IPC provisions for cheating and forgery have been applied to the case, and the police are now searching for the second accused party.