Following a spike in crimes involving digital predation, online grooming of minors and identity theft, police have come under scrutiny from several newly launched dating apps. The move follows confidential complaints received by the state’s high-tech crime investigation cell.
Sources said the presence of minors in such unverified apps can pose serious risks leading to financial fraud and sexual exploitation. “Operators of these unregistered platforms hold sensitive banking and personal information of several users, raising concerns about data breaches and leaks into the public domain,” they said.
A senior police officer associated with the investigation cited a recent high-profile case from Kasaragod in which a minor boy was allegedly sexually abused by 16 adults he met through a dating app created exclusively for the LGBTQ community. Government officials were also among the accused, the officer said, adding that operators of such online “matchmaking” platforms often remain untraceable due to the illegal nature of their operations.
Police sources said that social media ads promoting these dating platforms have attracted a large number of young users. The involvement of celebrities as promoters further encouraged people to register on such insecure platforms, often by paying registration fees and providing incorrect personal information, including age.
An IT expert currently working with the Kerala Police Cyberdome said text chats and video calls on such unsecured platforms could be leaked at any time due to weak encryption. The risk of extortion using sensitive content exchanged during live chats is also high, he said.
Police from the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit said downloading unverified dating apps could facilitate the theft of digital data stored on personal devices. Through such apps, it is possible to illegally access contacts, photos, messages and bank details, as well as share third-party data, they said.
A sub-inspector who was part of the investigation into the Kasaragod cybercrime case said that although some confidential complaints related to fraudulent apps had reached the police, many victims were reluctant to come forward to protect their identities. Several users reportedly lost money after signing up on untrusted platforms, he added. He said the police run awareness programmes, including initiatives such as D-AD (Digital De-Addiction), to promote healthy online behaviour.
Published – 29 Dec 2025 20:01 IST
