Fight back extortion

Some of us take joy in humiliating the underprivileged, less fortunate and subalterns. While between consenting friends it could be called ‘fun’, it turns ugly when it becomes bullying, especially when the victim is already petrified.

This week I received a call at around 3 am. The voice on the other end was choked and petrified. After a few minutes of beating around the bush, he revealed that he had been extorted by a group of hooligans he met on a men-who-date-men social networking website. He was home alone, looking to have a good time, and so, invited a stranger home. 

They didn’t have sex or anything close, but all of a sudden, the stranger was down to his underwear. At this point, he asked for water. When my caller went inside the kitchen to fetch water, there was a knock at the door.

Frightened, the caller opened the door only to be pushed by three people who barged in and found the stranger without any clothes. The group began beating the stranger and hurling homophobic expletives. Then, there was a demand for money and the threat of section 377. By this time, the caller was scared and understood that he will also be affected by this. Although he was extorted of all his money and valuables, he did not file a complaint.

Hookups with strangers should be avoided as much as possible. Here are some things you could keep in mind to avoid the tricky situation:

Be safe: Inform one of your confidants about your intentions. Share the number of the person you are going to date or hookup with. Avoid sex with strangers. You don’t want to end up with a sexually transmitted disease, right?
Be sure: Ensure that you know at least some of the person’s history. For example, where he lives, what he does, etc.

If you get threatened: Don’t panic. Act confident instead. Tell them you can go to the police with them if required. In most cases, it will foil their plan.

If its gets worse: Play along, then excuse yourself to the bathroom or somewhere you can be alone. Dial the police control room at 100 and register a complaint for threat to life.

Inform authorities: If this happens during work hours (12 to 8 pm from Monday to Friday), call Humsafar Trust on 022-26673800. Mumbai is blessed to have such proactive support, so make the best use of them. If it is during non-work hours, you could write to Humsafar Trust’s advocacy officer on Facebook at facebook.com/koninika.roy or even me at facebook.com/HarishIyer and take my number.

Know the law: Under Section 389 of the Indian Penal Code, it is a crime to extort money using accusation of a law as a threat and this offence is punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment.

Let no one take advantage of your vulnerability. Fight back extortion. Don’t let bullies win. Let’s fight back!

Ghabru nakka, tumcha Humsafar aahe ikde.