Australia police arrest 13 people in string of 'concerning' attacks on gay men through Grindr

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Police in Melbourne said that the victims met their assailants on gay dating apps before they were “then allegedly assaulted, robbed, threatened and subjected to homophobic comments.”

Australia police have detained 13 suspects after several queer men were robbed and assaulted by people they met on Grindr and other gay dating apps in a string of unrelated attacks.

Police in Melbourne, the second-largest city in the country, told Guardian Australiathat the five victims met their assailants on gay dating and hookup apps before they were “then allegedly assaulted, robbed, threatened and subjected to homophobic comments.” Some of the attacks were filmed, or involved locating victims' houses using social media.

Law enforcement said several boys under the age of 18 were among those arrested, including two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old, two of whom were released pending summons, and one of whom was charged with attempted armed robbery as well as intentionally causing injury and criminal damage. An 18-year-old was also arrested and charged with home invasion and recklessly causing injury.

While police do not suspect the cases to be related, they urged other victims or those with knowledge about the cases to coming forward, as well as urged members of the public to take precautionary measures when meeting people from online.

“If you or someone you know has experienced this behavior after using a dating app or other social media platform please make a report to police," they said. "As when using any app or social media platform, please always remain vigilant by protecting your identity and location and verifying the other person’s identity before meeting up.”