Pune: Gang Linked to Pimpri Chinchwad Metro Station Suicide Case Has Blackmailed Multiple Victims Across Various Dating Apps

Reported By Varad Bhatkhande
Pimpri Chinchwad, 21st March 2025: A shocking detail has emerged in the suicide case of a young man who jumped from Sant Tukaram Nagar Metro Station on 24th February, resulting in his death. The gang that blackmailed him for money, ultimately leading to his suicide, is reportedly involved in similar crimes and has targeted multiple victims in the past.

Sujal Sunil Mankar, 21, a resident of Rajgurunagar, came into contact with the gang through the Grindr app. However, this case is not an isolated incident, as multiple other victims are suspected, and the gang has reportedly confessed to similar crimes, according to Pimpri Chinchwad Police.

In a new development, a third suspect, Pranav Kishore Shinde—who was previously arrested by Dhule Police for illegal possession of arms—has now been taken into custody by Pimpri Police.

Mankar jumped from a duct at Sant Tukaram Nagar Metro Station on the evening of 24th February, falling onto the old Mumbai-Pune Highway, where he was struck by vehicles. Initially suspected to be a case of financial distress, further investigation by Pimpri Police revealed that a gang of six individuals actually blackmailed him.

The accused—Pranav Shinde, Nitin Patil, Lopesh Patil, Sandeep Rokade, Akash Chaure, and Prathamesh Jadhav—are all students of DY Patil College in Pimpri, where the deceased was also studying. The gang first contacted Mankar through Grindr, a location-based social networking and dating app for the LGBTQ+ community.

They lured him to Mahesh Nagar, Pimpri, where they forcibly recorded explicit and sensitive footage of him. Threatening to leak the videos, they demanded Rs 50,000 from him, of which he managed to pay Rs 35,500. Unable to meet their continued demands and overwhelmed by their threats, Mankar ultimately decided to end his life.

Following his suicide, Mankar’s father filed a complaint against the gang at Pimpri Police Station for abetment of suicide. Further reports indicate that the gang is habitual in such crimes and has targeted multiple victims—not only LGBTQ+ individuals from Grindr but also users of other popular dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge. Their victims reportedly include women as well.

Gay rights advocate and actor Nakshatra Bagwe addressed the case on social media, stating that multiple people have reached out to him, claiming to have been victimized by the same gang.

A police official told Punekar News, “This gang is habitual in such crimes. They are active on various dating apps and have numerous victims, including women.”

Another police official added, “We have arrested three suspects so far. One of them was previously arrested by Dhule Police for illegally carrying a pistol and was in Dhule Jail. We have now brought him here for questioning.”

To confirm this, Senior Police Inspector Ashok Kadlag, in charge of Pimpri Police Station, was contacted. He stated, “We have not received any other complaints yet. We have made three arrests so far. If there are any other victims, particularly those targeted by this gang, I urge them to come forward and report the incident. We are continuing our investigation.”