A Scary Grinder Trap
A few weeks ago, I received a random Instagram message from someone I didn’t know. "Beware of people in Nandanam," it read. Since I actually live in Nandanam, I replied immediately. "What do you mean?" The sender, a man we’ll call Varun, explained that he wasn’t talking about my neighbours or the area in general. He meant people on Grindr, the dating app. "I don’t even use Grindr," I told him. "That’s fine," he said. "But I lost money. A lot of it." That caught my attention. "Tell me everything." Varun hesitated at first, but after some reassurance, the whole story came out. He had matched with someone on Grindr who invited him to meet at Nandanam Metro. When they met, the stranger insisted Varun should come to his place instead. He led him through a gate near Nandanam Metro, saying it was nearby. But nearby turned into a long walk down a rough, deserted pathway, almost a kilometre, until they reached an old, abandoned build...