Seven people have been taken into custody for supposedly kidnapping a homosexual student at a university in South Africa. They enticed him into meeting them by using a dating app called Grindr.
The 18-year-old student, who is studying at the University of Witwatersrand, was reported as not being present by his roommate on Tuesday.
The police said that the people who took him away then asked his family for about $1,500 (£1,200) to let him go.
The group got caught after one of the criminals tried to take out the ransom money from a cash machine in Johannesburg.
He showed the police where the victim was kept – the officers found him tied up and not awake.
The people who are believed to be guilty have been connected to at least 85 incidents where members of the LGBTQ community were singled out and asked for money in return for their safety.
In simple terms, South Africa has a very fair constitution that supports the rights of gay people. It is the only African country where same-sex marriage is legal. However, many gay and lesbian individuals still experience unkindness and unfair treatment.
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South African authorities detain suspected Grindr kidnappers
