Three minors arrested in Savoie after a series of thefts and homophobic attacks on Grindr

The series of homophobic thefts and attacks dates back to last April, reports France Bleu Pays de Savoie.

Three minors were arrested on Tuesday May 21 in Barberaz (Savoie), near Chambéry, as part of an investigation into a series of homophobic thefts and assaults, committed last April via the dating application Grindr , according to information from France Bleu Pays de Savoie. Five complaints were filed.

The three minors are aged 15, 16 and 17, they are suspected of having created false profiles on Grindr, the dating application for bi and homosexual people to set traps for them. Between mid-April and the end of April, during the spring school holidays, they are suspected of having attacked several people in the Chambéry area because of their sexual orientation. Five victims, men aged 30 to 37, filed a complaint.

The modus operandi is as follows: the meeting is set on Grindr. When the victim arrives, he is lured aside by one of the minors. The other two attack her by surprise and try to rob her. Homophobic insults, punches, kicks, the victims are beaten when they resist. According to information from France Bleu Pays de Savoie, one of the men attacked, an adult with a disability, was forced to make a transfer of 150 euros from his mobile phone.

Following this violence, the five victims were prescribed ITT for less than eight days. The abused men live in Savoie, Haute-Savoie and the Rhône. Some were passing through the Chambery area when they were caught in these ambushes. Are there other victims? To date, five injured men have been identified. They all filed a complaint.

The three minors, confused by telephone and video surveillance, were quickly arrested, less than six weeks after the first events. These three high school students, unknown to the police, live with their parents in Barberaz. The clothing described by the victims was found during the searches. According to initial information, they had no connection with the victims, who were met randomly on Grindr. The three miners exchanged roles; it was not always the same one who served as bait.

Placed in police custody, the three teenagers are being prosecuted for “organized gang theft”, one of which was committed against a vulnerable person, and violence “in a meeting”, “with premeditation” and “due to sexual orientation”, aggravating circumstances. They were brought before the Chambéry public prosecutor’s office this Wednesday. They risk imprisonment. The investigation is being carried out by the personal injury group of the judicial branch of the Savoie national police.