Dating apps have become quite a fad in the last few years, where youngsters sign up to meet like-minded people. However, there have been a few instances of late due to which the safety of meeting people on dating apps has become quite a cause for concern.
In an incident that raises these concerns once again, an Indian student in Australia was allegedly killed after visiting a teen that he met through a dating app. Maulin Rathod, 25, is said to have visited a house at Ross Court in Sunbury on Monday, July 23, to meet a 19-year-old woman.
However, what may have seemed like a usual date turned to be fatal for Rathod. Emergency services were reportedly called in, who found the man with several injuries. He was then taken to the Sunshine Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
Speaking of the 25-year-old, his friend Lovepreet Singh told the Sydney Morning Herald that Rathod had come to Australia about four years ago and was studying at the Charles Sturt University for a Masters in Professional Accounting. He also said that Rathod was his parents' only child and they were heartbroken.
"His parents are in shock," he added. "He was a very nice person. He had a jolly nature and he was a cricket lover. I loved to hang around him. He had a very humble personality and tried really hard with his studies."
Meanwhile, another man, who said that he was Rathod's childhood friend but declined to identify himself, told the Age that the deceased's family was devastated and wanted answers about how he died. "His parents... I just can't explain their condition. It was very shocking that he was killed. Maulin was very charming and pleasing... he would help anyone in need, if he was his friend or enemy.
"We used to play cricket on roads and spent almost all our time doing that."
His friends are now pooling in funds so that his body can be sent back to India for the last rites.
Meanwhile, the 19-year-old was arrested from the house and charged for intentionally causing injury to Rathod. Her charges will reportedly be reviewed soon and could be changed to murder or manslaughter. She was produced before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 24, and has been remanded to judicial custody. She will appear in court on July 30.
This comes months after a similar incident shocked New Delhi. In March, Ayush Nautiyal, a 20-year-old Delhi University student, was killed by a man he met on a dating app. The accused was identified as Ishtiyaq Ali, a 26-year-old fashion designer, who had even demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh after kidnapping Nautiyal.
After his arrest, Ali confessed to have killed the 20-year-old. Nautiyal and Ali had met at a food joint near Dwarka Sector 13 on the afternoon of the incident. Ali confessed that he had a fight with the victim over some issue after which he killed him with a hammer," Hindustan Times had quoted Ali as saying.
During the investigation, it was found that Nautiyal often befriended strangers on several dating apps and later met them
